Ben Prochazka

I had a great time and a wonderful conversation with Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy. We talked about the impacts AVs could have to the economy, on-shoring, logistics, just-in-time manufacturing and the future of the US supply chain...as well as economic and workforce policy. Take a listen!

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A week from today I'll present the following paper at the TRB Conference on Advancing Transportation Equity, July 15-18, 2024 in Baltimore (https://lnkd.in/ghy37mbV) "Fair Share Transportation Planning and Funding" ( (https://lnkd.in/gQxpjKKg ) Abstract: To be equitable and efficient a transportation system must be diverse to serve diverse demands including the needs of travellers who cannot, should not or prefer not to drive and will use non-auto modes if they are convenient, integrated and affordable. Current planning fails to reflect this principle. In North America more than 90% of transportation infrastructure spending is devoted to roads and government mandated parking facilities to support automobile travel, and relatively little is invested in sidewalks, bikeways and transit subsidies This is unfair and inefficient. Unfortunately, there are four other presentations in this session so I only have 10 minutes to talk about my research. For more information see "Fair Share Transportation Planning" (www.vtpi.org/fstp.pdf). I hope to see some of my Linkedin friends there.

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Attention Intelligent Transportation Society of America members- 3rd round of funding opportunities for SMART grants announced! Start preparing your innovative projects to show how #technology is enabling safer, greener, smarter mobility in your community. Applications due July 12th. Let the alphabet soup reign: ITS, V2X, AV, AI, AAM, EV- you know the drill. Let’s show how technology enabled innovative mobility makes a difference for people. #THISisITS

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This week's theme: how used EVs are driving the movement to go electric 🚗 ⚡ As reported in CNN, both searches and sales of used EVs are way up in 2024: https://lnkd.in/eGDkHCrc And a New York Times story details how inventory of used EVs is growing and prices are falling. According to Recurrent, more than half of the used EVs on the market are now selling for under $30,000: https://lnkd.in/ecTaF4bj One big reason for these trends is the Inflation Reduction Act's used EV tax credit, which offers up to $4,000 off qualified used clean vehicles for individual taxpayers making less than $75,000, or married taxpayers filing jointly that make under $150,000. Americans can now claim both the new and used EV tax credits at the point of sale--when they purchase their vehicle--and more than 13,000 dealers have already signed up to make that happen. Today, companies and organizations made major new voluntary commitments to spur usage of the used EV tax credit, as covered in Kelley Blue Book: https://lnkd.in/eAU_BKdp As John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, told Kelley Blue Book, “Because most Americans buy used cars, access to the credit is speeding up overall adoption of electric vehicles.” See the full list of commitments here: https://lnkd.in/e3_tDc9T

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Two long-term trends are converging and sending mixed signals to electric vehicle purchasers: (1) the dwindling gas tax, and (2) policymakers' efforts to encourage the EV transition.  https://lnkd.in/eg3dkz9m

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Big thanks to The Energy Council for inviting me to share insights with legislators from 15 energy-producing states! I presented on the "North Dakota Perspective on the Federal Regulatory Trainwreck," highlighting how the EPA’s new rules on electric generation units could hike costs for ratepayers and destabilize the grid. #EnergyPolicy #NorthDakota #EPARules #GridStability

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ICYM! This rulemaking outlines how interest rates will be set for longer term loans: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized the Bureau to provide loans for up to 75 years. The Bureau developed a process to set interest rates for loans that have a final maturity date more than 35 years after substantial completion and a loan term of more than 40 years. The rule also allows the Bureau to incorporate the costs of RRIF loans into interest rates: Prior to this rulemaking, in the absence of appropriated budget authority to cover the cost of a RRIF direct loan, the borrower was required to pay this cost (referred to as the credit risk premium or CRP) prior to disbursement. CRP payments greatly increased the cost of borrowing from the Bureau and were an obstacle to many project sponsors borrowing from the loan program. This rulemaking eliminates the CRP. Now any direct loan that would have paid a CRP will instead be charged an interest rate spread throughout the life of the loan. The rulemaking replaced outdated statutory language about federal regulations: The rule replaces outdated language in the TIFIA regulations and now requires a TIFIA project to satisfy the applicable planning and programming requirements as laid out in the TIFIA statute. https://lnkd.in/emUYhg24

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