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Electric Mobility Monthly


March 2020

Welcome to the March edition of Forth's Industry Newsletter.
 
Normally, we use this space to keep you abreast of the latest developments with our organization and the transportation electrification industry. We’ll continue to do so, but we also feel it is important to address the reality that these are not normal times and this is not business as usual.

We understand that peoples' priorities have shifted for the time being. We want to acknowledge that and to do as much as we can to help, starting with doing our part to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak.
 
The Forth staff is working remotely and our office and Electric Showcase are temporarily closed to help maintain the health and safety of our staff and the people we work with.

In this edition of our newsletter, we've tried to highlight some of the organizations in the transportation electrification space who are working to combine their services with the ones needed by so many as a result of the current outbreak affecting the world. Examples include BYD adapting one of its factories to produce face masks, Arcimoto donating a vehicle to a non-profit delivering essential services to those in need, New York City's allowance of motorized e-scooters and bikes in the city for delivery of food and other essentials to a population under lockdown, micromobility alternatives to public transportation, and the struggles of ridehailing drivers with so many people staying home.

These stories highlight the continued importance of clean transportation, even in these challenging times. We will continue to highlight this work, and make connections across our community. If you have a great story about how clean transportation is helping communities - or a great idea for how we could make this connection - we'd love to hear from you. 

We've also released our 2019 Annual Report, detailing our projects, goals, and accomplishments from the previous year. We hope you can take a moment to give it a look.

We also wanted to remind you that webinars are a great way to keep abreast and involved with developments in the industry. Our next is Tuesday, April 7 on Right-of-Way Charging. Previous webinars can be found here

 
We hope you enjoy the news and we always love hearing your feedback. You can always keep track of what we’re up to on the Forth website

BYD Repurposes Factory to Manufacture Face Masks

Forth member BYD usually makes headlines in our newsletters for their work on electric buses and batteries, but this month, we’re happy to note how they’ve pivoted the focus of one of their production facilities to produce much-needed face masks and disinfectant to help contain the spread of the Coronavirus.
 
In a press release, the company stated that beginning in January, following news of the outbreak, the company’s factory in Shenzhen converted to become the world’s largest mass-produced face mask plant, with the ability to produce 5 million masks and 300,000 bottles of disinfectants per day.
 
To accomplish this, BYD created a  special task force of leaders from different business divisions and more than 3,000 engineers involved in research and development, design, processing and other roles, according to the company’s statement.

“A production line for high-quality face masks requires about 1,300 parts for various gears, chains, and rollers, 90% of which are BYD’s self-made parts,” said Sherry Li, Director General of BYD’s President Office.

They completed both the R&D and manufacturing process of mask production equipment within seven days. At the same time, BYD also completed the R&D of medical-grade hand sanitizers in six days, which were then shipped to medical staff on the front lines of the epidemic after just eight days.

Arcimoto Provides FUV to Deliver Essential Services

Forth member Arcimoto, whose three-wheeled Deliverator vehicles are fully electric, is working with the non-profit agency Carry It Forward, which provides essential, basic services to unhoused community members in Eugene, Oregon.

Arcimoto is providing a vehicle as a field test for the organization to provide emergency supplies during the Coronavirus outbreak.
 
“I can’t think of a more important mission, nor a better way to begin testing the Deliverator in the field, than helping Carry It Forward to serve the most vulnerable members of our community,” Mark Frohnmayer, Arcimoto’s founder and CEO, said in a statement.
 
The Eugene-Springfield Fire Department also recently began testing Arcimoto’s Rapid Responder emergency vehicle.

NYC Allows E-Bikes For Deliveries During Outbreak

New York City food service deliverers have long used throttled electric bikes to bring food and supplies to the city’s residents. However, they’ve done so outside of the law with a risk of a $500 penalty and the confiscation of their vehicle.
 
But now that all of the city’s bars and restaurants are closed to the public, these deliveries serve an incredibly important role, both for residents wishing to receive food without jeopardizing their health or that of others, and also for the providers whose livelihoods have all but evaporated.

As a result, the city has suspended enforcement of the ban and has communicated to the NYPD not to issue tickets or confiscate bikes during the outbreak.
 
The delivery drivers are now being viewed as front-line workers, providing an essential service during the crisis.
 
“It cannot be the case that during this city, state, and national emergency, that the threat of fines, summons, or other enforcement measures hang over these New Yorkers who will put their lives at risk to deliver food to everyone,” said City Councilmen Ydanis Rodriguez and Carlos Menchaca in a letter to the Mayor, encouraging the suspension of the fines and enforcement.

E-Mobility Offers Alternative to Public Transportation

Another area where electric transportation is having an effect during the pandemic is in micromobility.

Public transportation has emerged as a relatively frightening space due to the close proximity of people in confined areas. As a result, trains and buses are now often empty. But people who still need to get around have been utilizing electric bikes and scooters to do so.

According to The Verge, ridership on New York City’s subway system was down 18.65 percent on March 11th, compared to the same day last year. Bus ridership in New York City was down 15 percent, while Long Island Rail Road ridership declined 31 percent. Washington State has experienced a 25 percent drop in ridership in February compared to the month before. In San Francisco, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)’s ridership was down 35 percent.

But The New York Times reported that bicycle trips in New York City have jumped by 50% in some places compared to the same period last year, and that the Citi Bike bicycle-sharing program, which includes thousands of electric bicycles, has seen a 67% surge in ridership. Chicago is apparently seeing even more dramatic increases with a nearly 100% jump in cycling compared to the same time last year.
 
Use of e-bikes in New York City has increased 50% and Chicago has seen a 100% increase according to the Times.
 
It is recommended that riders wash their hands thoroughly as soon as possible before and after riding and cleaning the handles of the vehicles with antiseptic wipes is also strongly encouraged.
 
It’s also important to note that it is universally recommended that the best manner to halt the spread of the virus is to eliminate opportunities for it to spread by staying home. Thus, Lime Scooters has recently halted service of its scooter program in select locations to further encourage social distancing. They have halted service in Spain, Italy, and France, as well as in California and Washington State.

Struggling Ridehailing Drivers Pivot to Food Delivery

A recent article in WIRED calls attention to the plight of gig economy workers, and in particular, rideshare drivers in Washington State.

With companies such as Microsoft and Amazon in the area, and many of their employees transitioning to working from home, there are less rides available for rideshare drivers who have become a significant element of today’s workforce.
 
Ahmed Mumin, the executive director of the Seattle Rideshare Drivers Association, told WIRED that rides are down 50% from normal. That reduction in income, coupled with the lack of support offered to traditional employees, is leading to significant duress. Further, the drivers, like retail workers, are at an increased risk of infection due to the public nature of their work.  
 
Apparently, both Uber and Lyft have stated that they would “deactivate and compensate” drivers exposed to the virus. Further, those companies as well as Instacart, Grubhub and DoorDash are considering an industry-wide plan to assist gig-economy workers, although details have yet to be revealed.
 
Perhaps not surprisingly, food delivery services like Instacart, DoorDash and Grubhub have seen a significant increase in business. Harry Campbell, the founder of the Rideshare Guy driver blog, notes that he’s been recommending ridesharing drivers sign up to deliver for “Instacart and DoorDash since those are two of the more popular delivery services.”

UK Converts Avenue Lamposts for Car Charging

Right-of-Way charging is a significant manner to increase the availability and access to charging for electric car owners who may not have access at home. In fact, Forth just published a white paper about this very topic. 

So we are excited to learn that all of the street lamposts on Southerland Avenue in London have been converted to charging stations. Forth member, Siemens, was instrumental in assisting with the conversion of the 24 lamposts, a first in the UK but with several more planned nearby in the coming weeks, according to InsideEVs

“Lamppost charging gives people without driveways a very convenient, low cost, renewable, energy-friendly way to charge their EVs," said Daniel Bentham, Managing Director of ubitricity UK, who collaborated with Siemens on the conversions. "Cars spend 95 percent of their lives idle, so it makes sense to charge them while the driver is doing something else, like sleeping or working.”

Forth's 2019 Annual Report

While 2020 is off to a surreal start, we are pleased to offer Forth’s Annual Report on our accomplishments, growth and financials from 2019.

Forth experienced dramatic growth in membership, attendance at our Roadmap conference, and the number of projects we have underway. We are also expanding our work across the United States and internationally.

To support this growing portfolio, we doubled our staff team – while maintaining our nimble, empowering, entrepreneurial culture. We are deeply proud of our team and their accomplishments, as outlined in this annual report.

Looking ahead, Forth is doubling down on our core approach: bringing diverse stakeholders together to support a growing industry, demonstrating innovative new business models, transforming consumer awareness, and pursuing common-sense policies.

We will expand our work to promote best practices through publications, webinars, and events. We will also continue our work to overcome decades of inequitable transportation investments and make smart transportation accessible to traditionally underserved communities.

Our society is still at the early stages of a profound transformation of the way we move ourselves and our products. We hope you will join us on the road ahead!

Forth's Roadmap Award Nominations

We have extended the call for nominations for the annual Forth Roadmap Awards

The Forth Roadmap Awards celebrate individuals and organizations which have distinguished themselves with exemplary dedication to electric and smart transportation.

The Forth Roadmap Awards will be presented at the Roadmap 13 VIP celebration.
 
The Roadmap Award categories include:

  • CAREER ACHIEVEMENT 
    Honoring an outstanding individual whose career has made a substantial and lasting impact in promoting electric and smart transportation. 
  • PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERSHIP 
    Honoring an individual or an organization exemplifying public sector leadership in electric and smart transportation. 
  • PRIVATE SECTOR LEADERSHIP 
    Honoring an individual or an organization exemplifying private sector leadership in electric and smart transportation. 
  • COMMUNITY PARTNER 
    Honoring an individual or organization exemplifying leadership to ensure that communities of color or other traditionally marginalized communities are included in and benefit from electric and smart transportation. 
  • RESEARCH 
    Honoring an individual or organization that has produced compelling research to significantly advance electric and smart transportation. 

NOMINATION 
To nominate an individual, company, non-profit, etc. for the Roadmap Awards, please fill out this brief NOMINATION FORM by 12 PM Pacific Time on April 13, 2020.

New & Renewing Members

CoMotion
Energy and Resource Solutions (ERS)
California Electric Transportation Coalition
FleetCarma
S Curve Strategies
Flexcharging
Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB)
Salem Electric
Columbia River People's Utility District
IBEW 48
Durst Energy LLC

 

Forth is committed to helping members connect with partner organizations and policymakers to reach new markets and  advance transportation electrification.

Membership provides networking opportunities with Forth's member companies, as well as our broad industry, non-profit, and government connections. Forth membership also grants access to our member-only programs, resources and events.

If you are interested in becoming a member, contact Simbiat Yusuff.


VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF MEMBERS

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, Apr. 07
Webinar

Everything You Need to Know on Right of Way EV Charging
10 am – 11 am 
Tuesday, Apr. 21
Webinar

Cities Stepping Into Transportation Electrification
10 am – 11 am 


 
Tuesday, May 05
Webinar 

Hauling Goods with eCargo
10 am – 11 am 
June 14 -17 
EVS33
Portland, OR
Thursday, June 18
National EMobility Equity Conference 
Portland, OR

Partner 
Events

June 25 - 26
Conference 

CoMotion Miami
Miami, FL
August 24 - 26
Conference 

Green Transportation Summit and Expo
Tacoma, WA
September 8
Conference 

GoGreen Seattle
Seattle, WA
8 am - 6 pm
Questions or Comments?  Send them our way!  Email info@forthmobility.org or call 503.724.8670.

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