3 Comments

1. 

   Jane Hanser on July 9, 2019 at 12:03 pm

   I think NewMo is wonderful. But the next time around, the City should purchase the Mercedes-Benz’s EQV: This electric van has 200 horsepower and 249 miles of range. (Or some other EV van.) It’s perfect for these local rides; the City already has charging stations, and it can be recharged daily at the end of the runs. Then we will be making real progress not only to aid our seniors, but to meet our Climate Action Plan goals.

   Massachusetts has a goal of reducing carbon emissions 80% by 2050. The City of Newton has a goal of reducing emissions 80 percent by 2050.

   I think we can accomplish two goals at the same time – and we are stronger and better if we do. (And the City can be a great role model for encouraging residents to purchase EVs and hybrids.)

2. 

   Mike Halle on July 9, 2019 at 1:42 pm

   I would point out that Jane really does mean “next time”. The Mercedes-Benz’s EQV is a concept vehicle, a great step forward but not slated to hit the streets until September at the earliest. If past experience with electric vehicles holds true, they will be available in limited numbers, with the manufacturer unable to meet demand. I’m no expert in fleet management, but I would suspect that a 249 mile range might be limiting for ride share, especially in the winter. Every minute of charging time is time that could be spent driving a senior to an appointment or other trip. On top of that, brand new vehicles have unknown service history.

   I’ve heard comments from other people about how Newton didn’t live up to its energy ideals in the contracting of NewMo. I’m happy the city did the best they could, erring on the side of reliability for the customer (using a company that is taking steps toward fleet electric vehicles). The service faces enough challenges as it is.

   Let’s hope for great success and ever-more efficient competition in the local shared ride mobility business!

3. 

   Jane Hanser on July 9, 2019 at 3:03 pm

   We agree the NewMo is a step in the right direction for seniors. But I’d love to hear the City make a commitment to future vans being NOT SOLELY INTERNAL COMBUSTION engines – which leaves the door open to both EVs and hybrids, to be determined.

   A good place to start is to get data. How many miles will this be driving per day, on average, anyway? We don’t know for fact that the NewMo will be driving anywhere near 200 miles per day. More than 30 yes but we don’t know 200.

   Maybe the plug-in hybrids have range too limited for the purposes of NewMo (as contrasted to somebody who drives only to work, comes home, and charges his car overnight), and many models of EV vans seem to be used in Europe but not in the US, yet. (Europe is always ahead of us in this regard.)

   But looking ahead, and hopefully the City will be looking ahead NOW: The Ford has an XL hybrid van, which has much higher fuel efficiently, that is good looking and has good numbers for such purposes as NewMo, and this city in Oregon is already using a whole fleet of them with success. (See below.)

   https://www.hardworkingtrucks.com/oregon-fleet-reporting-substantial-fuel-savings-lower-emissions-with-xl-hybrid-vans/

   Electric motors are a tried and true technology. It would be interesting to see, also, if the city’s fleet of EVs has been requiring less maintenance than their internal combustion engine ones. And the City should open the door to future vehicles for the fleet to absolutely include our stated goal of reducing carbon emissions.