EXPLAINER: TO DECARBONIZE TRANSPORTATION, TACKLE SIX PROBLEMS

Electrify, diversify, rightsize, and contain transportation. Also, coordinate these efforts and do it quickly.

#1. Electrification

Electrify everything with wheels and a motor.

• Switch the powertrains of cars, buses, trucks, and other vehicles from internal combustion systems to battery-electric ones.
• Use the superior power of battery-electric systems to commercialize and diffuse new classes of ultra-efficient vehicles, such as neighbhorhood electric vehicles, e-scooters, and other kinds of micromobility.
• Interconnect transportation electrification with the electrification initiatives of other sectors (e.g., power generation and buildings) to improve the economics and resilience of electrification for decarbonization overall.

#2. Diversification

Diversify the design of transportation away from dictating a monopoly for cars and towards a system of multiple interoperable modes.

• Build out comprehensive infrastructure and service networks for biking, walking, public transit, and vehicle sharing.
• Develop and redevelop communities for more compact use of space and transit-oriented, mixed-use, upzoned neighborhoods.
• Invest in creating a culture of car-lite, multimodal living.

#3. Rightsizing

Rightsize vehicle systems to deliver the travel and accessibility needed without unnecessary waste.

• Eliminate excessive vehicle mass.
• Sanctify the safety and comfort of ultralight travelers (e.g. pedestrians and bicyclists) in the design of vehicles, infrastructure, and laws.
• Allocate urban spaces to people and high-occupancy public transportation instead of private motor vehicles.

#4. Containment

Contain the number of miles that motor vehicles travel.

• Stop and reverse the incentives that drive sprawl.
• Cease expansion of capacity for private cars, especially travel lanes and parking.
• Limit the potential for new technologies such as “connected” and “automated” to create new driving demand.

#5. Coordination

Coordinate the activities of electrification, diversification, rightsizing, and containment by creating deliberate strategies to support one another.

• Widely deploy, encourage, and provide comprehensive support for e-bikes which provide incredible new capabilities for ultra-efficient, affordable shorter-distance travel.
• Commercialize electric cars to maximize per-mile energy-efficiency, safety features to protect people outside the vehicle cabin, and use in high-utilization community/public sharing systems.
• Price public EV charging and parking amenities to reward high-occupancy use.

#6. Organizing Now

Organize for it all very quickly.

• Make no new investments that work against solutions for electrification, diversification, rightsizing, containment, and integration.
• Take stock of public subsidies, including “unlisted” items like zoning and parking policies that encourages car dependence, and shifting them in accordance with climate action.
• Familiarize with the treasure trove of low and “negative” cost measures for transportation climate action and get them commissioned and financed.

1 Based in part on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report (2022).

Further Reading

Here is a List of Reading on Transportation Climate Action.

More Information

This document is a working explainer by Ryan Schuchard. Please watch for updates. For questions and feedback, please connect with Ryan through the contact form.

Updated April 20, 2023

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