February 12, 2018
Oregon
Progressive Party
Position on Bill at 2018
Session of Oregon Legislature:
HB
4060: Need to Reform Financial Incentives for Electric Vehicles
to Remove Bias Against Small Ones
Dear Committee:
HB 2017, enacted in
2017, offers varous rebates and credits for electric and hybrid
electric
vehicles, but only for large vehicles capable of achieving 55 mph and
for "neighborhood electric vehicles," which are required to have 4
wheels. It fails to provide incentives for the vehicles that will
most effectively reduce energy use, pollution emissions, and traffic
congestion: smaller vehicles, including tricycles, using electric
power or human and electric power together.
Substituting 3,000 pound electric cars in place of 3,000 pound internal
combustion cars will prolong the underlying problem of having a
personal transportation system that expends 80% or more of its energy
usage on moving the vehicle itself, not its contents.
The rebates and credits should be available to smaller electric and
hybrid
human-electric vehicles, such as electric bicycles and tricycles.
There are many dozens of makes and models on the market, but their
sales are quite low due to the up front cost of the electric motor and
related systems and components. Providing a sizable rebate for
electric-assist bicycles and tricycles would take many thousands of
large vehicles off the road, most of which usually carry only the
driver.
The rebates should also be available for electric scooters that have no
human power input. While less efficient than electric-assist
bicycles and tricycles, electric scooters remain 5 times as efficient
for transporting one person that the smallest conventional electric
car. There are now electric scooters that enclose the driver,
providing protection from the weather.
Getting people out of cars and into bicycle, tricycles, and scooters
would also by itself significantly increase the capacity of Oregon's
streets and roads. These vehicles can safely proceed 2 or 3
abreast on a street or road lane of conventional width.
Electric-assist bicycles and tricycles can also safely use bike paths
and bike lanes.
Thus, HB
2017
overlooked the single most effective way to reduce energy use,
emissions, and traffic congestion from passenger vehicles in Oregon.
It also overlooked a very effective way of reducing pollution from
diesel
trucks and greatly increasing energy efficiency in transporting
freight--the hybrid human-electric powered
tricycle, for which HB 2017 provides no incentives. Several
European cities have banned combustion-engine
trucks from their central areas. Goods are delivered there by
electric vehicles, including fleets of hybrid human-electric powered
tricycles, as shown in the photos below. The DHL system using
modular containers on tricycles is shown at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYLwv9x8HU. This DHL system is
operating in 80 cities (but not in USA).
Encouraging use of such
vehicles in Oregon (and throughout the USA) would produce additional
economic benefit for Oregon, because the nation's foremost manufacturer
of such vehicles is located in Portland. Stites Design, Inc., has
produced the few hybrid human-electric powered
tricycles acquired by United Parcel Service (see photos below) for
service in the USA. (The man in the suit jacket
is the chairman and CEO of UPS.) See
http://www.trucktrike.com. A video about the use of tricycles by
UPS is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd4YNrfwNNs. A
video about the TruckTrike is here: https://vimeo.com/208410142.
Using cargo tricycles for central urban area deliveries would not only
reduce pollution but would also reduce traffic congestion and free
up on-street parking space, a large portion of which is now reserved
for trucks.
|
Oregon Progressive Party
|
Daniel Meek
authorized legal representative
dan@meek.net
503-293-9021 |
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