Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode!
From lunar technology to invasive surveillance, the mobility landscape is transforming in ways both promising and concerning. This episode explores three critical developments reshaping how we move—and who's watching us move.
Michelin's groundbreaking lunar rover tires represent innovation at its finest. Designed to withstand extreme temperatures from -400°F to 212°F without air, these thermoplastic marvels could revolutionize Earth vehicles too. With electric vehicles weighing up to 30% more than their gas counterparts, the lessons learned from space might solve pressing challenges for everyday transportation. Much like the space race of the 1960s, today's moonshot projects could deliver tomorrow's consumer innovations.
Meanwhile, a troubling surveillance network is expanding across America. Flock Group, operating automated license plate readers in over 5,000 communities, is developing "Nova"—a system combining license data with information from data brokers and even breached databases. This allows tracking individuals without warrants or court orders, raising serious privacy concerns. Most citizens remain unaware their movements are being recorded, packaged, and sold without meaningful legal protections.
The micromobility revolution offers a brighter narrative. The global market for e-bikes, scooters, and mopeds—valued at $160 billion in 2022—is projected to reach $340 billion by 2030. These lightweight options address urban congestion (drivers waste up to 119 hours annually in traffic), reduce emissions, and provide affordable alternatives to car ownership. While Americans cherish their vehicles, micromobility presents practical solutions for increasingly dense urban environments.
What technologies will enhance our freedom, and which ones might constrain it? The answers lie in understanding these developments and demanding appropriate safeguards. Join our conversation by texting 872-222-9793 or emailing talk@techmobilityshow with your thoughts on these transformative technologies.
Be sure to tell your friends to tune in to The TechMobility Podcast!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the TechMobility Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Ken Chester On the docket.
Your winning participation inthe development of a people
lookup tool call salvation issteel and what is micromobility?
To join the conversation, textthe call to TechMobility hotline
, that number 872-222-9793.
(00:32):
Or you can email the showdirectly.
Talk at techmobilityshow.
For those of you that supportwriters on Substack, I am there
too as a proud member of theIowa Writers Collaborative.
You can find me there at Ken,the letter C, the word Iowa, so
that's K-E-N-C-I-O-W-A From theTech Mobility News Desk.
(01:02):
What would you say if I told youthat there was a set of tires
in existence that could operatebetween 212 degrees Fahrenheit
and minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit?
They don't hold any air andthey're designed not to fail.
(01:22):
Would you be willing to buy aset of tires like that to never,
ever have him worry about ablowout or damage?
And if so, do you think he canafford them?
Well, there's good news and badnews.
One yes, those tires reallyexist.
And no, you can't buy them.
Michelin is developing tires togo on the next moon lunar rover
(01:51):
and they were tested betweennegative 400 and plus 212
degrees Fahrenheit.
They don't hold air.
They're made out ofthermoplastic and they're
tougher than anything we use onEarth and they're tougher than
anything we use on Earth.
Now, the reason that Michelinbid this contract with NASA they
(02:12):
believe, much the same way thatthe companies got in with the
space race during the 1960s,that what they learned there
they can apply to products hereon Earth.
And no doubt much the same way,companies developed
technologies that made it intoeveryday life as a result of all
(02:32):
the research money spent on thespace race in the 1960s.
Much the same way, automakersget an advantage from racing,
depending on what circuitthey're out there, they can test
components and engines andparts under the harsh realities
of high speed, high pressureracing and find out what works,
(02:54):
what don't.
This is basically Michelin'smoonshot, if you'll pardon the
pun.
It gives them an opportunity totake things to the extreme and
apply everything they everlearned about tires over the 130
years they've been in businessand see what else they can learn
as a result of the project.
These wheels they call themwild looking can withstand
(03:21):
extreme temperatures and conquercraters, and some of the things
that are about it.
Let me take you back for aminute.
The first moon rover waslaunched in 1971, over 50 years
ago, and that rover, ironically,was built by General Motors
that one.
Today, with everything we'velearned, obviously the whole
(03:47):
thing's going to look different,and that includes the tires.
And the only thing reallybetween the tires on your
vehicle and the tires on thisnew lunar rover have in common
they're both round, it's aboutit.
There's no air pressure, andit's made entirely of
thermoplastic.
Why not carbon, like your tires?
(04:07):
Because carbon gets hard above212 degrees Fahrenheit.
They don't make the cut.
The demand what you're doing isvery rigorous.
This rover is going to resideon Earth's moon for about 10
years, exploring remote areasand taking samples on manned and
(04:28):
unmanned missions.
Each wheel had to be tested inextreme environments to ensure
it could tough it out in thosetemperatures, stay intact even
in the path of solar andgalactic radiation, and maintain
traction on very loose soil andgalactic radiation.
And maintain traction on veryloose soil.
Bear this in mind.
On average, the tires thatyou're running on your car,
(04:49):
truck, suv, minivan right now,they advise you to change them
every six years.
These have to last in muchharder environments for four
more years than that, just togive you some context.
So why bother with a projectthat has a high cool factor but
(05:09):
is also extremely expensive?
Michelin believes that its workwill lead to technical and
scientific advances that couldlead to creative tire and wheels
ideas here on earth.
Here's an aside In thebeginning part of this decade,
tire manufacturers Michelin wasone of them were looking at
different ways to get past thetypical tire construction that
(05:32):
we know and love.
Part of that was being pushedby the added weight of EVs and
the need for different handlingand performance and weight and
load characteristics and,ironically enough, the design
that they had come up with looksa lot like this thermoplastic
design that they're modifyingfor the rover.
(05:53):
The funny thing is it wassupposed to go into testing.
Gm had agreed with at least oneof the tire makers to start
testing this alternative tire by2024.
To my knowledge, that did nothappen.
Whether COVID derailed it,whether the cost got out of line
or whether they figured that itjust was not feasible, we
(06:18):
haven't heard any more aboutthat.
No doubt Michelin may have aneye on, maybe taking what
they've learned from thisproject and applying it to that
project and revisit it.
Because what most people don'trealize here on earth, these new
EVs that are coming out,whether they're cars, suvs or
whatever are way heavier thanthe gasoline versions they
(06:41):
replaced because of thebatteries, and I mean they could
be as much as a third heavier.
That's a lot of weight.
So if you're talking a 4,000 oreven a 3,000-pound subcompact
vehicle, you're adding upwardsof another 1,000 to 1,200 pounds
just in battery weight Becausethey're so much heavier and
(07:01):
because of the nature of howelectric vehicles accelerate
they're so much heavier andbecause of the nature of how
electric vehicles accelerate.
All of that factors intorethinking how tires fit into
the equation in terms forhandling, starting, stopping and
carrying the weight and notwearing as quickly.
So there's a lot of that goingon and it's not all in vain.
(07:26):
There's a reason why Michelin islooking at this, because if you
take something to the extreme,then you learn how it performs
in extreme weather, extremeconditions.
Then you can take that extremeand say, okay, how can I take
the lessons we learned there andapply it to every day where we
have some heavy demand or severeuse applications that we need a
(07:46):
different solution for?
Will this work for that?
That's what Michelin is gonnafind out.
And it is a funky looking thing.
I mean it has a flat surface inthe round, but between the rim
and the surface are doesn't lookanything like a tire that you
would recognize today?
(08:07):
Nothing at all.
To go a little further,factoring in the radiation
abrasion of an abrupttemperature changes between the
bottom of the crater and thesurface of the moon, rubber
wasn't going to cut it.
On the surface of the moon,rubber wasn't going to cut it,
and Michelin already knew fromyears of practice that rubber
(08:27):
turns into a hard surface at 240degrees below zero.
I don't know how they wouldknow that, but yeah, they know
that.
Instead, the company created awheel composed of flexible,
thermoplastic S-shaped spokesthat connect the wheel to the
outside quote-unquote tread thatmakes contact with the soil.
Now these tires don't have atraditional tread that you would
(08:50):
expect to see Now, given thatthe Rovers cannot carry a spare
wheel.
So the original set has to bepretty close to perfect and even
if one of these spokes breaks,the wheel will still continue to
function, because it's not acatastrophic failure, as it
might be if a tire was punctured.
(09:10):
The mission would not be lost.
Even if the wheel lost a fewspokes.
And if you figure wear and tearover 10 years even remotely and
it's such a harsh environmentthat's a very real possibility.
Ironically, the wheels are verysoft and very flexible, and
(09:31):
they have to lose as littleenergy as possible when moving
on a surface, because, remember,this rover is operated by a
battery that it only gets fromsolar charging.
That's it, that's all it canget.
So energy conservation is a bigdeal on top of all of this.
So we'll see, and I haven'teven begun to talk about gravity
another issue it's one-sixth ofwhat it is here, and that does
(09:55):
factor in how the tires work.
Flock, a major license platereader company, is building a
massive people lookup tool.
Yikes, you are listening to thetech mobility show.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and
platforms for meetings, webinarsand staying connected?
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Here's the best part you canendure a 30-day free trial.
(10:31):
It's time to simplify your lifeand boost your productivity.
Aonmeetingscom, whereinnovation meets connection.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Get started today and revolutionize the way you
communicate.
Social media is the main placeto be these days, and we are no
exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Facebook videos, from my latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary of a variety ofmobility and technology related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
(11:00):
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Facebook.
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Be sure to subscribe to ourFacebook page.
Social media is the place to bethese days, and we're no
exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
(11:22):
Instagram videos, from thelatest vehicle reviews to timely
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
For those of you that listen topodcasts, we have just the one
(11:44):
for you.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester.
Tech Mobility Topics is apodcast where I upload
topic-specific videos each week.
Shorter than a full show, thesebite-sized programs are just
the thing, particularly ifyou're interested in a
particular topic covered on theweekly radio show.
From Apple Podcasts toiHeartRadio and many podcast
platforms in between, we got youcovered.
(12:04):
Just enter Tech Mobility Topicsin the search bar, wherever you
listen to podcasts.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Now you can say goodbye to sweltering hot cars,
to choking dust and exhaust toshivering in zero cold.
With all-season air conditioning, you simply turn one knob to
ride cool in summer, warm inwinter and enjoy filtered fresh
air in any weather all yearround.
Own a spectacular new Ramblerwith complete year-round air
(12:35):
conditioning.
It's the lowest-pricedair-conditioned car in America.
Yes, low-cost, all-season airconditioning is the right kind
for you, and you're so right tochoose a 55 Rambler
cross-country now at all Nashdealers, with all the glamour of
a luxurious family sedan plusthe utility of a rugged station
wagon.
Another reason why AmericanMotors means more for America.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Hmm, 1955.
1955.
You could get air conditioningin 1955.
1955.
You could get air conditioningin 1955.
Where I grew up, my first brandnew car, which was 25 years
after that, still didn't haveair conditioning.
I think it was my second car inthe mid-1980s that I actually
owned air conditioning and I wasa long ways from Massachusetts
(13:21):
where I grew up, because backthen, honestly, you didn't
really need it.
It was only two weeks in thewhole year where it got that hot
.
My parents' house didn't havecentral air.
I didn't learn any of thatuntil I moved to the Midwest.
Oh well, 1955, nash Rambler,who knew Flock Group.
They're the parent of FlockSafety, a Georgia-based
(13:45):
manufacturing operator ofsecurity hardware and software.
Particularly automated licenseplate recognition is better
known as ALPR, videosurveillance and gunfire locator
systems, has cameras that areinstalled in more than 5,000
communities in the United States.
That's right now, and put a pinin that because I'm going to
(14:07):
come back to it.
The company is currentlybuilding a product that will use
people lookup tools, databrokers, and get this data
breaches to jump from licenseplate reader to person.
This will allow law enforcementto much more easily identify
and track the movement ofspecific people around the
country without a warrant or acourt order, according to
(14:30):
internal company documents.
Whatever happened to the quaintconcept of personal privacy?
This is topic A.
Let me come back to that 5,000communities.
About two summers ago, I hadnoticed on two streets in my
town one street I frequent everysingle day they put up cameras
(14:54):
going and coming, and the citythat I lived in didn't say a
word about those cameras.
And now I think I know whyBecause the city didn't put them
in.
A private firm did, and theycan do that and they collect
that data.
In fact, even law enforcementcan set stuff up like that.
(15:15):
Now, to be clear, we don't haveany laws that protect us from
this kind of stuff, and onething that you should have heard
, that should have jumped out atyou in the opening, was they're
going to use their product, isgoing to use data that had been
breached by hackers.
They're going to use that inorder to identify you and,
(15:37):
what's worse, people that youare connected to, not just you.
That's the the scary part.
Without a warrant or a courtorder, they will be potentially
able to link a vehicle passingby a camera to its owner, and
(15:58):
then more people connected themthrough marriage or other
association.
Now, to be honest, some peoplewithin the company, I guess,
have some morals and wonderedabout them questioning the
ethics of using hacked data aspart of their surveillance
product.
But they're going to use it.
The new product is called Nova.
(16:19):
It will supplant license platedata with a wealth of personal
information sourced from othercompanies and the wider web, and
this is according to data thatwas secured by.
Where I got this from?
404 Media.
One Slack message this is all.
Company internal documents saidthat Nova supports 20 different
(16:41):
data sources that agencies cantoggle on or off.
I have said this many times downthrough the years.
I'm going to say it again.
Everybody's getting wound upabout what they see and I keep
telling you the real stuff goingon is the stuff you don't see
and you don't hear about, likethis Where's the noise for this?
This is happening in real time.
(17:04):
This is happening.
Let's not even before we evenget to NOVA, let's back up a
minute and talk about theautomated license plate
recognition.
Did you even know that was athing?
If you've been listening tothis program?
We talked about it and yourlicense plate's getting scanned
in places you don't even knowthat it's getting scanned
(17:27):
without your permission, withoutyour knowledge, and that
information is being bundledyour permission, without your
knowledge, and that informationis being bundled and sold,
combined and manipulated,because we don't have any
federal laws that protect usregarding how data is collected,
sold and disseminated.
We talked on this program awhile back about a face
(17:50):
recognition software that wasflawed, so flawed that a number
of municipalities stopped usingit because, when it came to
women and people of color, theywere getting false positives all
the time.
It was wrong.
My question is, with all of thisstuff and Flock is just one
(18:11):
company, by the way, they're notthe only one and they're
bundling this information,they're selling it to law
enforcement, they're selling itto the highest bidder, they're
getting it from data brokers.
Anybody who deals in data iseither buying or selling this
information.
It would be okay if there wasguidelines, if there were
(18:34):
guardrails that protected theaverage citizen from this kind
of invasion of privacy, which iswhat it really is.
You don't know how thatinformation is being used and
you don't know if thatinformation is being targeted
against you or your family, oryour friends or even people you
work with, because you passed alicense plate reader, an
(18:58):
automated license plate readerand they're starting to collect
all this information to make allthese connections.
If that's not big brother, Idon't know what is, and I'm not
okay with it.
You shouldn't be either.
This is happening in real time.
I'm still trying to get pastthe automated license plate
(19:19):
recognition.
Forget the rest of it.
What happened to life, libertyand pursuit of happiness?
What happened to people?
What happened to life, libertyand pursuit of happiness?
What happened to people havingthe ability to be private
underlined citizens Private,private, law-abiding citizens in
the United States of America?
And we don't even have therights to protect our own
(19:42):
privacy when it comes to stufflike this.
Companies should not be allowedto do this, or, if they do, in
very, extremely limitedsituations where, yes, a warrant
needs to be required, becausewho is protecting all of this
stuff they've accumulated fromthem getting hacked, from a bad
(20:06):
actor hacking them or, worse,god forbid, they sell it to
whoever.
There are no laws saying theycan't, there's no guidelines
that say what they can do withthe information, how long they
can keep it.
Flock is getting ready to rollthis out to whosoever will, and
(20:27):
you know, and honestly, the onlything that's going to protect
us is the ethics of the peopledoing it and, honestly, when it
comes to money and a capitalistsystem, I ain't put a whole lot
of faith in ethics.
Too many companies said trustme and we got burned.
There needs to be guidelines.
This is the kind of stuffhappening below the radar that
(20:47):
you need to know about, you needto be aware of when it comes to
your personal privacy.
You need to demand that we getlegislation to stand up for this
stuff.
When it comes to the future ofcold in the United States, the
answer is steel.
This is the Tech Mobility Show.
Do you listen to podcasts?
(21:14):
Seems that most people do.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
If you've missed any of ourweekly episodes on the radio,
our podcast is a great way tolisten.
You can find the Tech MobilityPodcast just about anywhere.
You can enjoy podcasts.
Be sure to follow us from ApplePodcasts, iheart Radio and many
platforms in between.
We are there.
Just enter the Tech MobilityPodcast in the search bar.
(21:37):
Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media it's the place to
be.
We're no exception.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
Several times a week, I post toTikTok several of the topics
that I cover on my weekly radioshow.
It's another way to keep up onmobility, technology news and
(21:58):
information.
I've built quite a library ofshort videos for your viewing
pleasure, so be sure to watch,like and subscribe.
That's the Tech Mobility Showon TikTok.
Check it out.
(22:22):
Coal Considered a dirty fuelbecause of its high carbon
content, along with the toxicbyproducts produced when burned,
the EPA had been turningelectricity producers away from
the material and tore it tonatural gas.
The coal used in theseinstances is called thermal coal
.
The future of coal lies in itsother, more industrial
application is metallurgicalcoal, or better known as coking
coal, which is used primarily inthe manufacture of steel, a
(22:44):
basic but essential buildingmaterial used in just about
everything from buildings androads to household appliances.
It seems that we're not yetdone with the dirty business.
This is topic B.
I read this article and they'reconvinced this is from
(23:05):
MarketWatch.
They're convinced that thedemand for thermal coal, in
other words, coal used togenerate heat or steam, used to
create temperature like a powerplant or some other heat
generating industrialapplication, that that will go
down in developed countries.
(23:25):
But global demand will continueto go up as other countries,
like India, like China, continueto grow their economies and
coal is the cheap way to do itand continue to put that all in
the air.
I take issue with the articleas I thought about it, because
what you're seeing right nowwith coal is an intersection
(23:49):
where coal-fired plants arenearing the end of their lives.
We've reported here in the pastyear or so about the increasing
demand for electricity due tothe growth of data centers and
due to the growth of AIdevelopment, to the point where
plants that were scheduled to bedecommissioned, taken offline.
(24:10):
They're applying to the statesto keep them online, or the
states are approaching theutilities saying, hey, can you
keep this plant connected to thegrid?
You're going to need it forpower generation.
We don't have enough power toreplace it and what we're
expecting for growth?
We're going to need everything.
It's the same thing going onwhere you're seeing a rebirth in
(24:31):
nuclear energy, you're seeing adelay in coal-fired plants
being offline and in some cases,you're seeing recently
decommissioned coal plants beingbrought back online.
The problem with that for theutility is the fact that if
you've got a coal plant and whenyou built it you said, okay,
coal plant has a life of 30years, so you planned your
(24:52):
investment, your maintenance,your staffing all of that over a
30 year life for yourinvestment.
You're now in year 28 of that30 years and your local utility
board comes to you, utility, andsays, based on our projections,
power demand is going to growin your operating area by 5, 10%
(25:14):
over the next 5 to 10 years and, based on what you've got for
available generating capacity,we're wondering if you can keep
that coal plant online.
Well, now the utility has aproblem At the end of that time.
It's just not a matter ofsaying, okay, we'll hold it open
.
Like anything utilities verycapital-intensive business Coal
(25:39):
utility if you plant it for 30years, you probably didn't put
any new money into it, probablyin the last five because you
were going to shut it down.
So why am I doing it?
Other than maintenance andsafety and things?
Typically, coal plants at theend of life will need between
$20 and $30 million in order tobe refurbished, to continue
(25:59):
another two, three years.
The utility is saying, okay,but we're going to need five or
10 years to get our money back.
If we keep this plant open andwe spend this money, which we
have to do to keep it reliable,can we get our return back on
investment.
Why am I sharing this with you?
Because that has an exact andreal impact on rate payers.
(26:21):
Because if they got to spendthat money, how are they going
to get it back?
By charging you more forelectricity.
They think thermal's going away.
I don't think as much as theythink, but their argument is,
with the recent move to bringstuff to reshore stuff to
America and all themanufacturing that's supposed to
(26:42):
come back here, they believethat the demand for steel, hence
metallurgical coal will both goup.
The demand for domestic steelwill go up.
The demand for the coal neededto make that steel will go up.
We've also talked about on thisprogram how steel is one of the
toughest industries todecarbonize.
Part of that is because of theuse of coking coal metallurgical
(27:06):
coal and the greenhouse gasesit gives off and all the other
toxic gas it gives off.
There's no real substitute,although there have been
companies Volvo, bmw and othersthat have worked to develop what
they call green steel, but it'sstill a fraction of all the
steel produced and it's still aprocess that has not been scaled
(27:28):
up and, like anything else inany basic industry, it takes
millions of dollars to do thiskind of stuff, and here's some
stuff they didn't talk about.
If the use of metallurgical coalcontinues to go up, that's
going to have a transportationimpact, because coal primarily
and solely gets hauled by oneparticular transportation mode
(27:53):
and that is by rail.
If you're looking at pullingthis coal out of Appalachia, if
you're looking at pulling thiscoal out of Powder River, where
most of the coal is mined rightnow and that's Powder River
Wyoming, by the way, where thereare 11 different coal mines
along 110 miles of railroadtrack and they're pulling
anywhere from 80 to 90, 100 cartrains full of coal out of there
(28:18):
a day.
That's the Burlington, northernSanta Fe and the Union Pacific
A day.
You can sit here in Iowa alongthe Union Pacific mainline and
watch the full coal trainsrolling east Plural.
You can go down into southernIowa same thing with the
Burlington northern Santa Fe andwatch the loaded coal trains
rolling east to power plants, towherever, from Powder River,
(28:42):
hundreds of miles away.
So there's impact of all kindsand not just the coal.
The question is the investorsare asking if they think the
thermal coal is going away andmetallurgical coal is here, then
what mining companies will bearound to mine it?
Number one and number two willthey be able to ride this
(29:05):
benefit?
Is this benefit for real?
They think right now.
The short answer for themetallurgical coal is yes, and
they believe that 20 years.
And the problem that I havewith that is if they believe
that metallurgical coal will bea major force in steelmaking for
(29:25):
the next 20 years, even as wetry to decarbonize everything,
then we've got a real problemwith steel manufacturing in the
United States that it is goingto be, and probably will be, the
dominant polluter both ofgreenhouse gases and other toxic
material in the air.
(29:46):
If this is the case, unlessthey figure something out and
right now, you know is there aless expensive way to do it?
Coal plants are not cheap to run.
Coal plants are not cheap torefurbish.
Coal plants are not cheap, I'msorry.
Coal plants, steel plants, arenot cheap to upgrade, refurbish
or build.
You're looking at hundreds ofmillions of dollars, sometimes
(30:06):
even billions of dollars.
You're looking at hundreds ofmillions of dollars, sometimes
even billions of dollars, so itshould be interesting to see how
this plays out.
Like I said, globally they'reexpecting a continued growth in
the use of metallurgical coal asthe demand for steel increases.
They also expect, over thatsame time period, the use of
thermal coal, like for electricutilities, will continue to drop
(30:29):
.
I think it will be mitigated alittle bit in the United States
because of the growth of AI anddata centers and the need for
electric power quickly, becauseit does take a while to build
any kind of new electricgeneration capacity.
Even if you're talking about awind farm, it takes time to
build that stuff andrefurbishing a coal plant's a
(30:50):
lot cheaper than buildingsomething from scratch and
getting all the permits andeverything.
So we'll see.
Coal's not dead yet.
Now you've heard me talk aboutmobility, but exactly what is
micro-mobility?
That's next.
We are the Tech Mobility Show.
To learn more about the TechMobility Show, start by visiting
(31:14):
our website.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
The website is a treasure troveof information about me and the
show, as well as where to findit on the radio across the
country.
Keep up with the happenings ofthe Tech Mobility Show by
visiting techmobilityshow.
That's techmobilityshow.
You can also drop us a line attalk at techmobility dot show.
(31:38):
Did you know that TechMobilityhas a YouTube channel?
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe TechMobility show.
Each week I upload a few shortvideos of some of the hot topics
that I cover during my weeklyradio program.
I've designed these videos tobe informative and entertaining.
It's another way to keep up oncurrent mobility and technology
(32:01):
news and information.
Be sure to watch, like andsubscribe to my channel.
That's the Tech Mobility Showon YouTube.
Check it out.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and
platforms for meetings, webinarsand staying connected?
Look no further thanAONMeetingscom, the all-in-one
browser-based platform that doesit all.
With AONMeetings, you caneffortlessly communicate with
clients, host virtual meetingsand webinars and stay in touch
with family and friends all inone place and for one price.
Here's the best part you canenjoy a 30-day free trial.
(32:32):
It's time to simplify your lifeand boost your productivity.
Aonmeetingscom, whereinnovation meets connection.
Get started today andrevolutionize the way you
communicate.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
Social media is the place to be these days, and
we're no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos From the latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
(33:05):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Here at the Tech Mobility Show,there's no shortage of
conversation about mobility ofall kinds.
I've talked aboutmethane-powered ocean vessels,
(33:27):
electric virtual takeoff andlanding craft, over-the-road
trucks, railroad locomotives andthe ubiquitous car and truck.
Micromobility is a subset oftransportation that's not often
talked about in any detail,except here right now.
This is topic C.
You know me, I always love toprovide you context.
(33:48):
Let me start with a definition,and I'm leaning on a McKinsey
and Company white paper, which Ilike their information, so I
tend to use it.
So let's start with adefinition.
What is it?
Micromobility refers totransportation via lightweight
(34:08):
vehicles, including bicycles,e-bikes, electric kick scooters,
otherwise known as e-scooters,and two-wheeled electric mopeds
that are used for short-distancetravel.
These vehicles can either behuman-powered or electric and
can be either privately owned orshared.
And then it references if youlive in a city, you've probably
(34:29):
seen e-scooters.
Let me take you back to 2017 to2019.
In the United States, if youlived in a large city in America
, you probably remember the allof a sudden, out of nowhere, a
bunch of e-scooters just dumped,depending on the city, some
(34:50):
folks overwhelmed.
Back then, these micro mobilitycompanies were trying to get to
scale and they believed it wasbetter to ask forgiveness than
to ask permission, and theywanted to introduce people at
scale in a hurry to these bikesby either offering them for
little or nothing.
Folks were leaving them allover the place, they were
(35:10):
becoming a nuisance, they werebeing left on the sidewalk, they
were being beat up.
The average lifespan of one ofthose scooters during that time
was 18 months.
I mean, these folks took an oldsaying to a whole new level and
you may have heard the oldsaying don't be gentle, it's a
rental.
These folks beat these thingsto death.
(35:31):
They only lasted a year and ahalf.
Folks beat these things todeath.
They only lasted a year and ahalf and in fact we reported on
a group of people that oneparticular micromobility company
hired to fetch their vehicles,called bird catchers, where they
would fetch these e-scootersfrom places where they weren't
needed, get them charged, getthem to places where they were
(35:52):
needed and they got a bounty,literally of so much a scooter.
And that was then.
After that, cities said youknow what?
We're going to pass some lawsand we're going to get a handle
on this, because we don't wantthis to happen ever again.
It was unsafe, people weregetting hurt, it was uncouth.
It just was a bad way for mostcities all the way around.
(36:17):
But let me take you to the nextlevel.
Let's look at this thing at aglobal range.
The global micromobilitymarket's on the upswing and
McKinsey estimates that themarket was worth about get this
now $160 billion with a B threeyears ago in 2022.
(36:39):
Within five years from now, by2030, they estimate this same
business micromobility globallyto reach $340 billion.
Now, obviously, in some regions, micromobility is more than
double its size.
In Europe, it's going to reach$140 billion, south Asia $45
(37:02):
billion, the Middle East andAfrica $20 billion apiece, and
even greater.
China's micromobility market isexpected to double to $80
billion.
And then there's North America,and when I say North America, I
am talking about Canada, unitedStates and Mexico combined, and
it's on track for more modest,though explosive growth.
We're on track to reach $35billion, up from $20 billion in
(37:28):
2022, so more than 50% growth inabout seven years.
Micromobility aims to solve amajor problem that most of the
world's vehicles about 1.3billion were in use in 2023, are
privately owned.
As a result, global urbaninfrastructure is strained and
(37:52):
anybody who's ever been througha city I don't care how big you
know this to be true.
Drivers in Munich, germany,waste an average of 87 hours in
traffic every year, while inpre-pandemic Los Angeles, the
number of wasted hours averaged119 hours a year.
(38:12):
119 hours a year the betterpart of a week, the better part
of one week.
You spend in traffic.
One week out of 52 weeks.
You gave up almost a whole week.
You gave up almost four days.
Private vehicles make roadwaycongestion worse because they
accommodate fewer passengersthan public transportation and
(38:35):
other shared options.
Here's a statistic for youAccording to the 2022 analysis
from McKinney Center for FutureMobility, private cars were
still used 45% of all trips.
That's globally.
I'm willing to bet in theUnited States it's way higher,
and definitely up here in theupper Midwest, higher than that,
(38:55):
if you told me it was 85 to 90%, I'd say you were probably low.
But yeah, I mean, I get thatyou can't ride an e-scooter in
the country.
It don't work.
You're going to need a car.
And if you're in the cities,you know there's a handful of
(39:16):
cities in Iowa that wouldaccommodate something like that,
maybe five or six, you know,out of 99 counties and 3 million
people.
Yeah, so the reality of privatecar ownership and congestion
creates more than justtraffic-related annoyances.
Private ownership necessitatesparking garages and parking
(39:38):
spaces on valuable urban landthat can be otherwise used for
parks or other amenities.
And, of course, more roads andinfrastructure means more
spending on maintenance andoperations.
And, more critically, of course, the high rate of private car
ownership contributes toincreased carbon emissions.
We love our vehicles in America.
(39:59):
We ain't going to hardly givethem up In the cities though,
really, and I keep going back tomy college days in Boston.
But even back in the 70s, Ididn't own a car until the day
before I graduated college, didnot need one.
The 70s, I didn't own a caruntil the day before I graduated
college, did not need one.
All because of four lettersthat's still working.
(40:20):
The MBTA, otherwise known asMassachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority and the natives callthe T.
If you needed to get somewherewithin 40 miles of Boston, you
really didn't need a car.
You needed a schedule, theright pass and you can go
anywhere.
And that was then, with all theadded choices for micromobility.
(40:41):
Now I don't even have to waiton the bus in the larger cities,
including Boston, including DesMoines.
We've got e-bikes here, stillscooters around.
You can rent an e-bike here ina lot of the college towns.
So micromobility could solve aproblem.
Particularly if you can'tafford a car or maybe you don't
(41:01):
want to own a car for all theexpense, micromobility becomes
an economic choice, which is abetter choice all the way around
.
Don't have to insure it as much, you can store it easily,
maintenance is less of an issueand you can get around when you
want to, and that would be agood thing.
Welcome to the TechMobility Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Ken Chester On the docket.
Your winning participation inthe development of a people
lookup tool call salvation issteel and what is micromobility?
To join the conversation, textthe call to TechMobility hotline
, that number 872-222-9793.
(00:32):
Or you can email the showdirectly.
Talk at techmobilityshow.
For those of you that supportwriters on Substack, I am there
too as a proud member of theIowa Writers Collaborative.
You can find me there at Ken,the letter C, the word Iowa, so
that's K-E-N-C-I-O-W-A From theTech Mobility News Desk.
(01:02):
What would you say if I told youthat there was a set of tires
in existence that could operatebetween 212 degrees Fahrenheit
and minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit?
They don't hold any air andthey're designed not to fail.
(01:22):
Would you be willing to buy aset of tires like that to never,
ever have him worry about ablowout or damage?
And if so, do you think he canafford them?
Well, there's good news and badnews.
One yes, those tires reallyexist.
And no, you can't buy them.
Michelin is developing tires togo on the next moon lunar rover
(01:51):
and they were tested betweennegative 400 and plus 212
degrees Fahrenheit.
They don't hold air.
They're made out ofthermoplastic and they're
tougher than anything we use onEarth and they're tougher than
anything we use on Earth.
Now, the reason that Michelinbid this contract with NASA they
(02:12):
believe, much the same way thatthe companies got in with the
space race during the 1960s,that what they learned there
they can apply to products hereon Earth.
And no doubt much the same way,companies developed
technologies that made it intoeveryday life as a result of all
(02:32):
the research money spent on thespace race in the 1960s.
Much the same way, automakersget an advantage from racing,
depending on what circuitthey're out there, they can test
components and engines andparts under the harsh realities
of high speed, high pressureracing and find out what works,
(02:54):
what don't.
This is basically Michelin'smoonshot, if you'll pardon the
pun.
It gives them an opportunity totake things to the extreme and
apply everything they everlearned about tires over the 130
years they've been in businessand see what else they can learn
as a result of the project.
These wheels they call themwild looking can withstand
(03:21):
extreme temperatures and conquercraters, and some of the things
that are about it.
Let me take you back for aminute.
The first moon rover waslaunched in 1971, over 50 years
ago, and that rover, ironically,was built by General Motors
that one.
Today, with everything we'velearned, obviously the whole
(03:47):
thing's going to look different,and that includes the tires.
And the only thing reallybetween the tires on your
vehicle and the tires on thisnew lunar rover have in common
they're both round, it's aboutit.
There's no air pressure, andit's made entirely of
thermoplastic.
Why not carbon, like your tires?
(04:07):
Because carbon gets hard above212 degrees Fahrenheit.
They don't make the cut.
The demand what you're doing isvery rigorous.
This rover is going to resideon Earth's moon for about 10
years, exploring remote areasand taking samples on manned and
(04:28):
unmanned missions.
Each wheel had to be tested inextreme environments to ensure
it could tough it out in thosetemperatures, stay intact even
in the path of solar andgalactic radiation, and maintain
traction on very loose soil andgalactic radiation.
And maintain traction on veryloose soil.
Bear this in mind.
On average, the tires thatyou're running on your car,
(04:49):
truck, suv, minivan right now,they advise you to change them
every six years.
These have to last in muchharder environments for four
more years than that, just togive you some context.
So why bother with a projectthat has a high cool factor but
(05:09):
is also extremely expensive?
Michelin believes that its workwill lead to technical and
scientific advances that couldlead to creative tire and wheels
ideas here on earth.
Here's an aside In thebeginning part of this decade,
tire manufacturers Michelin wasone of them were looking at
different ways to get past thetypical tire construction that
(05:32):
we know and love.
Part of that was being pushedby the added weight of EVs and
the need for different handlingand performance and weight and
load characteristics and,ironically enough, the design
that they had come up with looksa lot like this thermoplastic
design that they're modifyingfor the rover.
(05:53):
The funny thing is it wassupposed to go into testing.
Gm had agreed with at least oneof the tire makers to start
testing this alternative tire by2024.
To my knowledge, that did nothappen.
Whether COVID derailed it,whether the cost got out of line
or whether they figured that itjust was not feasible, we
(06:18):
haven't heard any more aboutthat.
No doubt Michelin may have aneye on, maybe taking what
they've learned from thisproject and applying it to that
project and revisit it.
Because what most people don'trealize here on earth, these new
EVs that are coming out,whether they're cars, suvs or
whatever are way heavier thanthe gasoline versions they
(06:41):
replaced because of thebatteries, and I mean they could
be as much as a third heavier.
That's a lot of weight.
So if you're talking a 4,000 oreven a 3,000-pound subcompact
vehicle, you're adding upwardsof another 1,000 to 1,200 pounds
just in battery weight Becausethey're so much heavier and
(07:01):
because of the nature of howelectric vehicles accelerate
they're so much heavier andbecause of the nature of how
electric vehicles accelerate.
All of that factors intorethinking how tires fit into
the equation in terms forhandling, starting, stopping and
carrying the weight and notwearing as quickly.
So there's a lot of that goingon and it's not all in vain.
(07:26):
There's a reason why Michelin islooking at this, because if you
take something to the extreme,then you learn how it performs
in extreme weather, extremeconditions.
Then you can take that extremeand say, okay, how can I take
the lessons we learned there andapply it to every day where we
have some heavy demand or severeuse applications that we need a
(07:46):
different solution for?
Will this work for that?
That's what Michelin is gonnafind out.
And it is a funky looking thing.
I mean it has a flat surface inthe round, but between the rim
and the surface are doesn't lookanything like a tire that you
would recognize today?
(08:07):
Nothing at all.
To go a little further,factoring in the radiation
abrasion of an abrupttemperature changes between the
bottom of the crater and thesurface of the moon, rubber
wasn't going to cut it.
On the surface of the moon,rubber wasn't going to cut it,
and Michelin already knew fromyears of practice that rubber
(08:27):
turns into a hard surface at 240degrees below zero.
I don't know how they wouldknow that, but yeah, they know
that.
Instead, the company created awheel composed of flexible,
thermoplastic S-shaped spokesthat connect the wheel to the
outside quote-unquote tread thatmakes contact with the soil.
Now these tires don't have atraditional tread that you would
(08:50):
expect to see Now, given thatthe Rovers cannot carry a spare
wheel.
So the original set has to bepretty close to perfect and even
if one of these spokes breaks,the wheel will still continue to
function, because it's not acatastrophic failure, as it
might be if a tire was punctured.
(09:10):
The mission would not be lost.
Even if the wheel lost a fewspokes.
And if you figure wear and tearover 10 years even remotely and
it's such a harsh environmentthat's a very real possibility.
Ironically, the wheels are verysoft and very flexible, and
(09:31):
they have to lose as littleenergy as possible when moving
on a surface, because, remember,this rover is operated by a
battery that it only gets fromsolar charging.
That's it, that's all it canget.
So energy conservation is a bigdeal on top of all of this.
So we'll see, and I haven'teven begun to talk about gravity
another issue it's one-sixth ofwhat it is here, and that does
(09:55):
factor in how the tires work.
Flock, a major license platereader company, is building a
massive people lookup tool.
Yikes, you are listening to thetech mobility show.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and
platforms for meetings, webinarsand staying connected?
Look no further than a onmeetingscom, the all in one
browser based platform that doesit all.
With a on meetings, you caneffortlessly communicate with
clients, post virtual meetingsand webinars and stay in touch
with family and friends all inone place and for one price.
Here's the best part you canendure a 30-day free trial.
(10:31):
It's time to simplify your lifeand boost your productivity.
Aonmeetingscom, whereinnovation meets connection.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Get started today and revolutionize the way you
communicate.
Social media is the main placeto be these days, and we are no
exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Facebook videos, from my latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary of a variety ofmobility and technology related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
(11:00):
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Facebook.
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Be sure to subscribe to ourFacebook page.
Social media is the place to bethese days, and we're no
exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
(11:22):
Instagram videos, from thelatest vehicle reviews to timely
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
For those of you that listen topodcasts, we have just the one
(11:44):
for you.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester.
Tech Mobility Topics is apodcast where I upload
topic-specific videos each week.
Shorter than a full show, thesebite-sized programs are just
the thing, particularly ifyou're interested in a
particular topic covered on theweekly radio show.
From Apple Podcasts toiHeartRadio and many podcast
platforms in between, we got youcovered.
(12:04):
Just enter Tech Mobility Topicsin the search bar, wherever you
listen to podcasts.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Now you can say goodbye to sweltering hot cars,
to choking dust and exhaust toshivering in zero cold.
With all-season air conditioning, you simply turn one knob to
ride cool in summer, warm inwinter and enjoy filtered fresh
air in any weather all yearround.
Own a spectacular new Ramblerwith complete year-round air
(12:35):
conditioning.
It's the lowest-pricedair-conditioned car in America.
Yes, low-cost, all-season airconditioning is the right kind
for you, and you're so right tochoose a 55 Rambler
cross-country now at all Nashdealers, with all the glamour of
a luxurious family sedan plusthe utility of a rugged station
wagon.
Another reason why AmericanMotors means more for America.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Hmm, 1955.
1955.
You could get air conditioningin 1955.
1955.
You could get air conditioningin 1955.
Where I grew up, my first brandnew car, which was 25 years
after that, still didn't haveair conditioning.
I think it was my second car inthe mid-1980s that I actually
owned air conditioning and I wasa long ways from Massachusetts
(13:21):
where I grew up, because backthen, honestly, you didn't
really need it.
It was only two weeks in thewhole year where it got that hot
.
My parents' house didn't havecentral air.
I didn't learn any of thatuntil I moved to the Midwest.
Oh well, 1955, nash Rambler,who knew Flock Group.
They're the parent of FlockSafety, a Georgia-based
(13:45):
manufacturing operator ofsecurity hardware and software.
Particularly automated licenseplate recognition is better
known as ALPR, videosurveillance and gunfire locator
systems, has cameras that areinstalled in more than 5,000
communities in the United States.
That's right now, and put a pinin that because I'm going to
(14:07):
come back to it.
The company is currentlybuilding a product that will use
people lookup tools, databrokers, and get this data
breaches to jump from licenseplate reader to person.
This will allow law enforcementto much more easily identify
and track the movement ofspecific people around the
country without a warrant or acourt order, according to
(14:30):
internal company documents.
Whatever happened to the quaintconcept of personal privacy?
This is topic A.
Let me come back to that 5,000communities.
About two summers ago, I hadnoticed on two streets in my
town one street I frequent everysingle day they put up cameras
(14:54):
going and coming, and the citythat I lived in didn't say a
word about those cameras.
And now I think I know whyBecause the city didn't put them
in.
A private firm did, and theycan do that and they collect
that data.
In fact, even law enforcementcan set stuff up like that.
(15:15):
Now, to be clear, we don't haveany laws that protect us from
this kind of stuff, and onething that you should have heard
, that should have jumped out atyou in the opening, was they're
going to use their product, isgoing to use data that had been
breached by hackers.
They're going to use that inorder to identify you and,
(15:37):
what's worse, people that youare connected to, not just you.
That's the the scary part.
Without a warrant or a courtorder, they will be potentially
able to link a vehicle passingby a camera to its owner, and
(15:58):
then more people connected themthrough marriage or other
association.
Now, to be honest, some peoplewithin the company, I guess,
have some morals and wonderedabout them questioning the
ethics of using hacked data aspart of their surveillance
product.
But they're going to use it.
The new product is called Nova.
(16:19):
It will supplant license platedata with a wealth of personal
information sourced from othercompanies and the wider web, and
this is according to data thatwas secured by.
Where I got this from?
404 Media.
One Slack message this is all.
Company internal documents saidthat Nova supports 20 different
(16:41):
data sources that agencies cantoggle on or off.
I have said this many times downthrough the years.
I'm going to say it again.
Everybody's getting wound upabout what they see and I keep
telling you the real stuff goingon is the stuff you don't see
and you don't hear about, likethis Where's the noise for this?
This is happening in real time.
(17:04):
This is happening.
Let's not even before we evenget to NOVA, let's back up a
minute and talk about theautomated license plate
recognition.
Did you even know that was athing?
If you've been listening tothis program?
We talked about it and yourlicense plate's getting scanned
in places you don't even knowthat it's getting scanned
(17:27):
without your permission, withoutyour knowledge, and that
information is being bundledyour permission, without your
knowledge, and that informationis being bundled and sold,
combined and manipulated,because we don't have any
federal laws that protect usregarding how data is collected,
sold and disseminated.
We talked on this program awhile back about a face
(17:50):
recognition software that wasflawed, so flawed that a number
of municipalities stopped usingit because, when it came to
women and people of color, theywere getting false positives all
the time.
It was wrong.
My question is, with all of thisstuff and Flock is just one
(18:11):
company, by the way, they're notthe only one and they're
bundling this information,they're selling it to law
enforcement, they're selling itto the highest bidder, they're
getting it from data brokers.
Anybody who deals in data iseither buying or selling this
information.
It would be okay if there wasguidelines, if there were
(18:34):
guardrails that protected theaverage citizen from this kind
of invasion of privacy, which iswhat it really is.
You don't know how thatinformation is being used and
you don't know if thatinformation is being targeted
against you or your family, oryour friends or even people you
work with, because you passed alicense plate reader, an
(18:58):
automated license plate readerand they're starting to collect
all this information to make allthese connections.
If that's not big brother, Idon't know what is, and I'm not
okay with it.
You shouldn't be either.
This is happening in real time.
I'm still trying to get pastthe automated license plate
(19:19):
recognition.
Forget the rest of it.
What happened to life, libertyand pursuit of happiness?
What happened to people?
What happened to life, libertyand pursuit of happiness?
What happened to people havingthe ability to be private
underlined citizens Private,private, law-abiding citizens in
the United States of America?
And we don't even have therights to protect our own
(19:42):
privacy when it comes to stufflike this.
Companies should not be allowedto do this, or, if they do, in
very, extremely limitedsituations where, yes, a warrant
needs to be required, becausewho is protecting all of this
stuff they've accumulated fromthem getting hacked, from a bad
(20:06):
actor hacking them or, worse,god forbid, they sell it to
whoever.
There are no laws saying theycan't, there's no guidelines
that say what they can do withthe information, how long they
can keep it.
Flock is getting ready to rollthis out to whosoever will, and
(20:27):
you know, and honestly, the onlything that's going to protect
us is the ethics of the peopledoing it and, honestly, when it
comes to money and a capitalistsystem, I ain't put a whole lot
of faith in ethics.
Too many companies said trustme and we got burned.
There needs to be guidelines.
This is the kind of stuffhappening below the radar that
(20:47):
you need to know about, you needto be aware of when it comes to
your personal privacy.
You need to demand that we getlegislation to stand up for this
stuff.
When it comes to the future ofcold in the United States, the
answer is steel.
This is the Tech Mobility Show.
Do you listen to podcasts?
(21:14):
Seems that most people do.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
If you've missed any of ourweekly episodes on the radio,
our podcast is a great way tolisten.
You can find the Tech MobilityPodcast just about anywhere.
You can enjoy podcasts.
Be sure to follow us from ApplePodcasts, iheart Radio and many
platforms in between.
We are there.
Just enter the Tech MobilityPodcast in the search bar.
(21:37):
Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media it's the place to
be.
We're no exception.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
Several times a week, I post toTikTok several of the topics
that I cover on my weekly radioshow.
It's another way to keep up onmobility, technology news and
(21:58):
information.
I've built quite a library ofshort videos for your viewing
pleasure, so be sure to watch,like and subscribe.
That's the Tech Mobility Showon TikTok.
Check it out.
(22:22):
Coal Considered a dirty fuelbecause of its high carbon
content, along with the toxicbyproducts produced when burned,
the EPA had been turningelectricity producers away from
the material and tore it tonatural gas.
The coal used in theseinstances is called thermal coal
.
The future of coal lies in itsother, more industrial
application is metallurgicalcoal, or better known as coking
coal, which is used primarily inthe manufacture of steel, a
(22:44):
basic but essential buildingmaterial used in just about
everything from buildings androads to household appliances.
It seems that we're not yetdone with the dirty business.
This is topic B.
I read this article and they'reconvinced this is from
(23:05):
MarketWatch.
They're convinced that thedemand for thermal coal, in
other words, coal used togenerate heat or steam, used to
create temperature like a powerplant or some other heat
generating industrialapplication, that that will go
down in developed countries.
(23:25):
But global demand will continueto go up as other countries,
like India, like China, continueto grow their economies and
coal is the cheap way to do itand continue to put that all in
the air.
I take issue with the articleas I thought about it, because
what you're seeing right nowwith coal is an intersection
(23:49):
where coal-fired plants arenearing the end of their lives.
We've reported here in the pastyear or so about the increasing
demand for electricity due tothe growth of data centers and
due to the growth of AIdevelopment, to the point where
plants that were scheduled to bedecommissioned, taken offline.
(24:10):
They're applying to the statesto keep them online, or the
states are approaching theutilities saying, hey, can you
keep this plant connected to thegrid?
You're going to need it forpower generation.
We don't have enough power toreplace it and what we're
expecting for growth?
We're going to need everything.
It's the same thing going onwhere you're seeing a rebirth in
(24:31):
nuclear energy, you're seeing adelay in coal-fired plants
being offline and in some cases,you're seeing recently
decommissioned coal plants beingbrought back online.
The problem with that for theutility is the fact that if
you've got a coal plant and whenyou built it you said, okay,
coal plant has a life of 30years, so you planned your
(24:52):
investment, your maintenance,your staffing all of that over a
30 year life for yourinvestment.
You're now in year 28 of that30 years and your local utility
board comes to you, utility, andsays, based on our projections,
power demand is going to growin your operating area by 5, 10%
(25:14):
over the next 5 to 10 years and, based on what you've got for
available generating capacity,we're wondering if you can keep
that coal plant online.
Well, now the utility has aproblem At the end of that time.
It's just not a matter ofsaying, okay, we'll hold it open
.
Like anything utilities verycapital-intensive business Coal
(25:39):
utility if you plant it for 30years, you probably didn't put
any new money into it, probablyin the last five because you
were going to shut it down.
So why am I doing it?
Other than maintenance andsafety and things?
Typically, coal plants at theend of life will need between
$20 and $30 million in order tobe refurbished, to continue
(25:59):
another two, three years.
The utility is saying, okay,but we're going to need five or
10 years to get our money back.
If we keep this plant open andwe spend this money, which we
have to do to keep it reliable,can we get our return back on
investment.
Why am I sharing this with you?
Because that has an exact andreal impact on rate payers.
(26:21):
Because if they got to spendthat money, how are they going
to get it back?
By charging you more forelectricity.
They think thermal's going away.
I don't think as much as theythink, but their argument is,
with the recent move to bringstuff to reshore stuff to
America and all themanufacturing that's supposed to
(26:42):
come back here, they believethat the demand for steel, hence
metallurgical coal will both goup.
The demand for domestic steelwill go up.
The demand for the coal neededto make that steel will go up.
We've also talked about on thisprogram how steel is one of the
toughest industries todecarbonize.
Part of that is because of theuse of coking coal metallurgical
(27:06):
coal and the greenhouse gasesit gives off and all the other
toxic gas it gives off.
There's no real substitute,although there have been
companies Volvo, bmw and othersthat have worked to develop what
they call green steel, but it'sstill a fraction of all the
steel produced and it's still aprocess that has not been scaled
(27:28):
up and, like anything else inany basic industry, it takes
millions of dollars to do thiskind of stuff, and here's some
stuff they didn't talk about.
If the use of metallurgical coalcontinues to go up, that's
going to have a transportationimpact, because coal primarily
and solely gets hauled by oneparticular transportation mode
(27:53):
and that is by rail.
If you're looking at pullingthis coal out of Appalachia, if
you're looking at pulling thiscoal out of Powder River, where
most of the coal is mined rightnow and that's Powder River
Wyoming, by the way, where thereare 11 different coal mines
along 110 miles of railroadtrack and they're pulling
anywhere from 80 to 90, 100 cartrains full of coal out of there
(28:18):
a day.
That's the Burlington, northernSanta Fe and the Union Pacific
A day.
You can sit here in Iowa alongthe Union Pacific mainline and
watch the full coal trainsrolling east Plural.
You can go down into southernIowa same thing with the
Burlington northern Santa Fe andwatch the loaded coal trains
rolling east to power plants, towherever, from Powder River,
(28:42):
hundreds of miles away.
So there's impact of all kindsand not just the coal.
The question is the investorsare asking if they think the
thermal coal is going away andmetallurgical coal is here, then
what mining companies will bearound to mine it?
Number one and number two willthey be able to ride this
(29:05):
benefit?
Is this benefit for real?
They think right now.
The short answer for themetallurgical coal is yes, and
they believe that 20 years.
And the problem that I havewith that is if they believe
that metallurgical coal will bea major force in steelmaking for
(29:25):
the next 20 years, even as wetry to decarbonize everything,
then we've got a real problemwith steel manufacturing in the
United States that it is goingto be, and probably will be, the
dominant polluter both ofgreenhouse gases and other toxic
material in the air.
(29:46):
If this is the case, unlessthey figure something out and
right now, you know is there aless expensive way to do it?
Coal plants are not cheap to run.
Coal plants are not cheap torefurbish.
Coal plants are not cheap, I'msorry.
Coal plants, steel plants, arenot cheap to upgrade, refurbish
or build.
You're looking at hundreds ofmillions of dollars, sometimes
(30:06):
even billions of dollars.
You're looking at hundreds ofmillions of dollars, sometimes
even billions of dollars, so itshould be interesting to see how
this plays out.
Like I said, globally they'reexpecting a continued growth in
the use of metallurgical coal asthe demand for steel increases.
They also expect, over thatsame time period, the use of
thermal coal, like for electricutilities, will continue to drop
(30:29):
.
I think it will be mitigated alittle bit in the United States
because of the growth of AI anddata centers and the need for
electric power quickly, becauseit does take a while to build
any kind of new electricgeneration capacity.
Even if you're talking about awind farm, it takes time to
build that stuff andrefurbishing a coal plant's a
(30:50):
lot cheaper than buildingsomething from scratch and
getting all the permits andeverything.
So we'll see.
Coal's not dead yet.
Now you've heard me talk aboutmobility, but exactly what is
micro-mobility?
That's next.
We are the Tech Mobility Show.
To learn more about the TechMobility Show, start by visiting
(31:14):
our website.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
The website is a treasure troveof information about me and the
show, as well as where to findit on the radio across the
country.
Keep up with the happenings ofthe Tech Mobility Show by
visiting techmobilityshow.
That's techmobilityshow.
You can also drop us a line attalk at techmobility dot show.
(31:38):
Did you know that TechMobilityhas a YouTube channel?
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe TechMobility show.
Each week I upload a few shortvideos of some of the hot topics
that I cover during my weeklyradio program.
I've designed these videos tobe informative and entertaining.
It's another way to keep up oncurrent mobility and technology
(32:01):
news and information.
Be sure to watch, like andsubscribe to my channel.
That's the Tech Mobility Showon YouTube.
Check it out.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
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(32:32):
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Speaker 2 (32:44):
Social media is the place to be these days, and
we're no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos From the latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
(33:05):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Here at the Tech Mobility Show,there's no shortage of
conversation about mobility ofall kinds.
I've talked aboutmethane-powered ocean vessels,
(33:27):
electric virtual takeoff andlanding craft, over-the-road
trucks, railroad locomotives andthe ubiquitous car and truck.
Micromobility is a subset oftransportation that's not often
talked about in any detail,except here right now.
This is topic C.
You know me, I always love toprovide you context.
(33:48):
Let me start with a definition,and I'm leaning on a McKinsey
and Company white paper, which Ilike their information, so I
tend to use it.
So let's start with adefinition.
What is it?
Micromobility refers totransportation via lightweight
(34:08):
vehicles, including bicycles,e-bikes, electric kick scooters,
otherwise known as e-scooters,and two-wheeled electric mopeds
that are used for short-distancetravel.
These vehicles can either behuman-powered or electric and
can be either privately owned orshared.
And then it references if youlive in a city, you've probably
(34:29):
seen e-scooters.
Let me take you back to 2017 to2019.
In the United States, if youlived in a large city in America
, you probably remember the allof a sudden, out of nowhere, a
bunch of e-scooters just dumped,depending on the city, some
(34:50):
folks overwhelmed.
Back then, these micro mobilitycompanies were trying to get to
scale and they believed it wasbetter to ask forgiveness than
to ask permission, and theywanted to introduce people at
scale in a hurry to these bikesby either offering them for
little or nothing.
Folks were leaving them allover the place, they were
(35:10):
becoming a nuisance, they werebeing left on the sidewalk, they
were being beat up.
The average lifespan of one ofthose scooters during that time
was 18 months.
I mean, these folks took an oldsaying to a whole new level and
you may have heard the oldsaying don't be gentle, it's a
rental.
These folks beat these thingsto death.
(35:31):
They only lasted a year and ahalf.
Folks beat these things todeath.
They only lasted a year and ahalf and in fact we reported on
a group of people that oneparticular micromobility company
hired to fetch their vehicles,called bird catchers, where they
would fetch these e-scootersfrom places where they weren't
needed, get them charged, getthem to places where they were
(35:52):
needed and they got a bounty,literally of so much a scooter.
And that was then.
After that, cities said youknow what?
We're going to pass some lawsand we're going to get a handle
on this, because we don't wantthis to happen ever again.
It was unsafe, people weregetting hurt, it was uncouth.
It just was a bad way for mostcities all the way around.
(36:17):
But let me take you to the nextlevel.
Let's look at this thing at aglobal range.
The global micromobilitymarket's on the upswing and
McKinsey estimates that themarket was worth about get this
now $160 billion with a B threeyears ago in 2022.
(36:39):
Within five years from now, by2030, they estimate this same
business micromobility globallyto reach $340 billion.
Now, obviously, in some regions, micromobility is more than
double its size.
In Europe, it's going to reach$140 billion, south Asia $45
(37:02):
billion, the Middle East andAfrica $20 billion apiece, and
even greater.
China's micromobility market isexpected to double to $80
billion.
And then there's North America,and when I say North America, I
am talking about Canada, unitedStates and Mexico combined, and
it's on track for more modest,though explosive growth.
We're on track to reach $35billion, up from $20 billion in
(37:28):
2022, so more than 50% growth inabout seven years.
Micromobility aims to solve amajor problem that most of the
world's vehicles about 1.3billion were in use in 2023, are
privately owned.
As a result, global urbaninfrastructure is strained and
(37:52):
anybody who's ever been througha city I don't care how big you
know this to be true.
Drivers in Munich, germany,waste an average of 87 hours in
traffic every year, while inpre-pandemic Los Angeles, the
number of wasted hours averaged119 hours a year.
(38:12):
119 hours a year the betterpart of a week, the better part
of one week.
You spend in traffic.
One week out of 52 weeks.
You gave up almost a whole week.
You gave up almost four days.
Private vehicles make roadwaycongestion worse because they
accommodate fewer passengersthan public transportation and
(38:35):
other shared options.
Here's a statistic for youAccording to the 2022 analysis
from McKinney Center for FutureMobility, private cars were
still used 45% of all trips.
That's globally.
I'm willing to bet in theUnited States it's way higher,
and definitely up here in theupper Midwest, higher than that,
(38:55):
if you told me it was 85 to 90%, I'd say you were probably low.
But yeah, I mean, I get thatyou can't ride an e-scooter in
the country.
It don't work.
You're going to need a car.
And if you're in the cities,you know there's a handful of
(39:16):
cities in Iowa that wouldaccommodate something like that,
maybe five or six, you know,out of 99 counties and 3 million
people.
Yeah, so the reality of privatecar ownership and congestion
creates more than justtraffic-related annoyances.
Private ownership necessitatesparking garages and parking
(39:38):
spaces on valuable urban landthat can be otherwise used for
parks or other amenities.
And, of course, more roads andinfrastructure means more
spending on maintenance andoperations.
And, more critically, of course, the high rate of private car
ownership contributes toincreased carbon emissions.
We love our vehicles in America.
(39:59):
We ain't going to hardly givethem up In the cities though,
really, and I keep going back tomy college days in Boston.
But even back in the 70s, Ididn't own a car until the day
before I graduated college, didnot need one.
The 70s, I didn't own a caruntil the day before I graduated
college, did not need one.
All because of four lettersthat's still working.
(40:20):
The MBTA, otherwise known asMassachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority and the natives callthe T.
If you needed to get somewherewithin 40 miles of Boston, you
really didn't need a car.
You needed a schedule, theright pass and you can go
anywhere.
And that was then, with all theadded choices for micromobility.
(40:41):
Now I don't even have to waiton the bus in the larger cities,
including Boston, including DesMoines.
We've got e-bikes here, stillscooters around.
You can rent an e-bike here ina lot of the college towns.
So micromobility could solve aproblem.
Particularly if you can'tafford a car or maybe you don't
(41:01):
want to own a car for all theexpense, micromobility becomes
an economic choice, which is abetter choice all the way around
.
Don't have to insure it as much, you can store it easily,
maintenance is less of an issueand you can get around when you
want to, and that would be agood thing.
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