Downtown’s First Electric Vehicle Charging Station

Last month the first electric vehicle charging station opened in downtown St. Louis:

Microgrid Energy, based in Clayton, Missouri, unveiled its second charging station at its second hotel in less than a year, Thursday morning. Microgrid Energy spent a rainy Thursday morning celebrating the installation of the second station where customers can pay to charge their electric volt (or EV) cars.

The first was at the Moonrise on Delmar less than a year ago. (KPLR)

Earlier in the week I stopped by and saw it was being used.

From the company’s website:

Microgrid is helping lead the transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs). An extensive shift in infrastructure from gas stations to EV Charging Stations is required to fulfill the potential that EVs hold. This transition will go hand in hand with the transition to locally generated energy from renewable sources. EVs result in lower carbon emissions, but when coupled with onsite solar power, the carbon footprint can go to zero. (Source: Microgrid)

As a city and country we are a long way from mass consumer adoption of electric vehicles, but early adopters will pave the way:

The climate will get kinder for electric cars.

 A prolonged spike in oil prices may send consumers scrambling toward electric. Wider adoption rates should result in lower battery and car prices down the line.

 We’re just not there yet. (Daily Finance: 3 Reasons Why You’re Not Buying an Electric Car)

This charging station is next to the former downtownDillard’s, now home to the Laurel Apartments (an advertiser here) and Embassy Suites Hotel.

– Steve Patterson

Readers Support Proposed Bike Parking Ordinance

Readers overwhelmingly support a bill before the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to require bike parking for some projects:

A proposed law would require bike parking for new construction or renovations in access excess of $1 million dollars. Auto parking requirements would be reduced.

1. Great, more bike parking is needed 44 [50%]
2. A good start, but it doesn’t go far enough 18 [20.45%]
3. Ugh, more government regulation 16 [18.18%]
4. Other: 9 [10.23%]
5. Unsure/No Opinion 1 [1.14%]

I had a stupid mistake in the poll, corrected above, and a few of the other votes pointed that out:

1. A good first step; besides handicapped parking there should be no reqirements
2. don’t you mean “in excess?”
3. What comes first demand or supply?
4. need more bike lanes and paths first…
5. Like the bike part, but no reduction for cars
6. excess =/= access. We need more accessible and safe biking paths first.
7. How about an option for not a good idea?????
8. excess, not access
9. Security is a MAJOR concern of those who use bike racks. Theft is a conern.

The 20% that said this bill is a good start but it doesn’t go far enough are correct, the number of projects in excess of $1 million dollars are few.The amount of verbiage to describe what is required in the context of our tired & old use-based zoning code is a nightmare to read and understand. Take a few minutes and read any section of Title 26 (Zoning) and you will quickly realize it’s easy to get lost in the cross references and lists of prohibitions all the while you don’t get an image of what’s actually desired.

Instead of trying to improve the city by amending our 1947 zoning code to current standards we need to toss it out completely and start over with a form-bsased code that is easy to read and understand.

– Steve Patterson

Why Does MoDOT Keep Closing I-64 in Downtown St. Louis?

For weeks (months?) now I’ve been hearing on the news about MoDOT closing I-64 (hwy 40) for repair work.

I went to MoDOT’s St. Louis website and found this under “planning/future projects”:

The I-64 double deck approach to the Poplar Street Bridge extends from 21st Street to the bridge. This structure is in a double deck configuration from approximately 14th Street to Broadway. The bridge was opened to traffic in November 1967 and is over 43 years old. The double deck needs to be rehabilitated to ensure a longer lifespan. The expansion joints in between the bridge decks also need to be replaced because they are in poor condition due to age. (MoDOT)

But this future work sounds like what’s being done currently.

Under “current work” I found this:

11th Street Exit Ramp on Eastbound Interstate 64

*Updated on June 13, 2011

Below is a schedule for the 11th Street exit ramp on eastbound I-64:

• The ramp will continue to close from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on each weekday (Monday – Friday). It will open every weekday for morning and evening rush-hour times.
• As of now, this will continue throughout 2011. If there are any changes to this schedule, MoDOT will immediately inform motorists.
• The construction that is being done at the 11th Street exit ramp right now is on I-64 between 21st Street and the Poplar Street Bridge. Crews are performing earthquake seismic retrofit work to maintain the I-64 double deck bridge since it has deteriorated significantly.
• Work on and under the 11th Street ramp is just a portion of this overall project. Over the last ten years, various work has been completed in an effort to earthquake strengthen and to keep I-64 in service for the future.
• Various evening and weekend closures on I-64 will continue throughout 2011. MoDOT will keep motorists informed of new updates and lane closures expected to take place in the near future.

This current project was last updated in June of last year? Nice to see MoDOT working hard to keep the public informed.

– Steve Patterson

New Thinking Was on Display at St. Louis Auto Show

In May 2008 I found myself car shopping. I could no longer ride my 90mpg scooter so I wanted a fuel efficient car. Gas prices had been climbing for months:

I was shopping for used a car but I found myself angered at the selection of new vehicles being offered:

Today Ford, GM and Chrysler are caught with too many trucks and SUV’s in showrooms as sales of these segments decline in the double digits. Toyota has passed Ford for the #2 sales position in the U.S. Honda is set to pass Chrysler for #3.

Why does it matter? Well the auto industry is an important part of our national economy. Many thousands of workers build the cars and many others work for suppliers to the industry. Until we can shift these people to other jobs a large part of the economy depends upon all of us doing our part and buying a new vehicle. But with the new reality of $4/gallon +/- gas consumers are finally rejecting trucks and SUVs. Frankly the U.S. economy is to reliant upon sales of autos and of new mostly suburban homes. (full post)

It wasn’t long before both GM & Chrysler were in bankruptcy and Ford was mortgaged to the roof and selling off brand after brand like Aston Martin & Volvo. All three were finally forced to rethink how the design, build and sell cars in a global economy. The government finally pushed the auto industry to higher standards:

The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) mandate was first established in 1975 and until this past April 1 [2010] has changed little since. It’s been years of debate, but finally, the standards have been significantly updated. By model year 2016, the fuel efficiency of the new vehicle fleet sold in the United States will have to average at least 34.1 miles per gallon. [Popular Mechanics]

The fact is automakers had been making great improvements in efficiency for decades

Specifically, between 1980 and 2006, the average gas mileage of vehicles sold in the United States increased by slightly more than 15 percent — a relatively modest improvement. But during that time, Knittel has found, the average curb weight of those vehicles increased 26 percent, while their horsepower rose 107 percent. All factors being equal, fuel economy actually increased by 60 percent between 1980 and 2006, as Knittel shows in a new research paper, “Automobiles on Steroids,” just published in the American Economic Review (download PDF). [Source: MIT News]

If we still drove 1980 sized vehicles the automakers could exceed the 2016 CAFE requirement, per the above source. But with creative thinking and using technology used around the world the higher standard can be met:

The Hyundai brand has met the federal government’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards four years ahead of the 2016 deadline, achieving an average of 36 mpg across its model lineup, according to WardsAuto. But there are some who have taken issue with the EPA’s estimates of Hyundai vehicles, and have petitioned for a re-test of the 40- highway-mpg Elantra. Hyundai America CEO John Krafcik stands behind the Elantra’s mpg rating, however, saying the numbers are achievable in the real world. [Source: Motor Trend]

At the St. Louis Auto Show last week, new more efficient vehicles were on display. Click the image to see the official website for each vehicle.

For decades companies like Ford built models specifically for the U.S. market that had no resemblance to European models. This increased development costs and gave U.S. consumers subpar vehicles. Those days are gone.

The 2012 Ford Focus is a global Ford, whereas the 2008 Ford Focus had nothing to do with European models. The gains in fuel economy speak for themselves. Over at GM a similar story is told.

Chevrolet made strong gains with the Cruze that replaced the Cobalt.

President Obama has proposed a CAFE standard of 54.5mpg by 2025, coinciding with new regulations in California:

The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have estimated that the improved technology would add $2,030 to the average vehicle purchase price, but that lifetime cost savings for fuel would exceed $6,000, for a net savings of more than $4,000 over the life of a new vehicle. The NADA disagrees with those figures and plans to release its own study next month that estimates a total price increase per vehicle of up to $5,000. [MSN]

With the economy rebounding fuel prices are expected to reach $4/gallon this summer. This time automakers will have vehicles that meet buyer expectations. When I’m ready to buy my next used car I’ll have better choices  than I had in 2008.

– Steve Patterson

Park Over Highway Useful For Boulevard Concept (Updated)

Last week the public was updated on the CityArchRiver project. Much of the presentation (pdf) focused on getting to the Arch from downtown.

From the press release:

In December, the US Department of Transportation announced a $20 million TIGER grant for work on the I-70 corridor connected to the CityArchRiver 2015 plan. With matches and other resources, $57.2 million has been secured for work on I-70 connections surrounding the Arch Grounds making it possible for a critical piece of the project—the park over the depressed lanes of I-70 between the Old Courthouse and the Arch grounds—to move forward.

“Visitors will now have a tree-lined green space to traverse between the Old Courthouse and the Arch without a stair step in their way,” said Ed Hassinger, St. Louis area district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). “Not a single stoplight or dangerous intersection will hinder visitors between Fourth Street in front of the Old Courthouse and the Arch Grounds.”

In his remarks to community members, Gullivar Shepard, associate principal for the lead design firm Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates, identified the crucial role the park over I-70 has in achieving the project’s full potential.

“A park over the highway is probably the most important piece of the whole puzzle,” said Shepard. “It is a great big move, which humanizes and strengthens the link between the city and the new Museum entry, and a central tenet of what the original Arch designers, Eero Saarinen and Dan Kiley, wanted to achieve. Following on this move, projects on the Arch Grounds, especially the reflecting ponds and north gateway landscapes, will also enhance the experience of the Arch grounds for everyone.”

Work on the park over the highway is already taking place. MoDOT has solicited engineering proposals and expects construction to be completed in connection with the new Mississippi River Bridge well in advance of October 2015.

Despite this park over the existing highway I’m not giving up on the idea of replacing a mile stretch of highway with an at-grade boulevard. But the lid will be in the way of this vision? Shouldn’t we stop the lid and push for the boulevard? I’m not so sure. Here’s why.

The boulevard that replaces the highway can simply dip under the park just as Chippewa & Gravois go under railroad lines and how Forest Park Ave goes under Grand Ave. I still picture the elevated highway over Washington Ave/Eads Bridge removed.

To me the intersection at Washington is far more critical than at Market or Chestnut. The view entering downtown on the Eads Bridge without the elevated highway will be excellent, enough so I’m personally ok with the park space to connect to the proposed new Arch museum entrance.

UPDATE 1/30/2012 @ 11:45am CST:

My friends at CitytoRiver sent me a link to when they discussed this issue in late 2010 — click here to read it.

– Steve Patterson