10/07/2022

How States Are Planning To Power The Electric Vehicle Boom

33:13 minutes

a 3d photo-real rendering of a dozen or so electric vehicle chargers, placed in three rows
Credit: Shutterstock

California and New York recently adopted regulations which ban sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Several other states are likely to quickly follow suit. But the uptick in vehicle demand will also require new infrastructure, and increase demand for mining metals used to produce car batteries.

Jessika Trancik, professor at the Institute for Data, Systems and Society at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and David Reichmuth, senior engineer for the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Clean Transportation Program, join Ira Flatow to discuss the future of electric vehicles. Plus, Eric Gebhardt, chief technology officer at Wabtec, an industrial locomotive company, discusses the challenges and promise of battery-electric trains.


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Segment Guests

Jessika Trancik

Jessika Trancik is a professor in MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

David Reichmuth

David Reichmuth is a senior engineer in the Clean Transportation Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Oakland, California.

Eric Gebhardt

Eric Gebhardt is Chief Technology Officer at the Wabtec Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Segment Transcript

The transcript is being processed. It will be available the week after the segment airs.

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About Shoshannah Buxbaum

Shoshannah Buxbaum is a producer for Science Friday. She’s particularly drawn to stories about health, psychology, and the environment. She’s a proud New Jersey native and will happily share her opinions on why the state is deserving of a little more love.

About Ira Flatow

Ira Flatow is the host and executive producer of Science FridayHis green thumb has revived many an office plant at death’s door.

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