In The News

Our experts are frequently spotlighted in national/local news outlets and widely read blogs. The headlines and summaries below link to the original news articles and features.

How Toyota, a Laggard on Electric Cars, Got Its Fight Back

March 22, 2024

In recent years, Toyota has lobbied hard against stricter pollution regulations that favored electric vehicles over the auto giant’s hybrid vehicles, but experts question their reasoning. Gil Tal, director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California, Davis’s Institute of Transportation Studies, said that while hybrids were “very efficient on lowering emissions a little bit, they’re not very effective in bringing us to zero emissions in the long run.”

The New York Times

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EV tax credits are widespread – but extra fees are just as common

March 21, 2024

The issue, according to Gil Tal, director of the EV Research Center at the University of California-Davis, US, is that these municipalities depend on fuel taxes to pay for public infrastructure and services.

BBC

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America’s Biggest Universal Basic Mobility Experiment Is Taking Place in L.A.

March 14, 2024

“Initially, we were surprised that there was so much use of Uber and Lyft,” says Caroline Rodier, a researcher at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies.

Next City

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Opinion: How a California climate win could end up destroying rainforests — and what to do about it

March 14, 2024

California-inspired renewable diesel is booming across the country. As the industry grows, however, it’s having some unintended consequences.

Los Angeles Times

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Toyota is hitting the gas on hybrids as EV sales cool. But what does that mean for the planet?

March 10, 2024

If Toyota embraced EVs sooner, it would push others in the same direction, said Daniel Sperling, founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California.

CNN

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State transportation programs improve equity but still face barriers, campus study finds

March 4, 2024

The Clean Mobility Options and the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project programs have institutional barriers to distributing funding and facilitating projects, according to research by UC Berkeley Othering & Belong Institute and UC Davis Institute of Transportaion Studies.

The Daily Californian

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The ‘greenest’ car in America might surprise you

February 29, 2024

Gil Tal, director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California at Davis, said some studies show that drivers use their plug-in hybrids as regular hybrids, almost never charging them.

The Washington Post

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The state of EVs in California today

February 29, 2024

Gil Tal, director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California, Davis, joins Midday Edition Wednesday to discuss the outlook for EVs in California and the challenges that remain for their adoption.

KPBS

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The “Greenest” Car You Can Buy In America Is The Toyota Prius Prime SE — Maybe

February 28, 2024

Gil Tal, director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California at Davis, said some studies show that drivers use their plug-in hybrids as regular hybrids, almost never charging them.

CleanTechnica

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Battery breakthrough lets electric cars run longer in extreme cold

February 28, 2024

A new formula for lithium-ion batteries could help electric vehicles drive farther and charge faster even at extreme sub-zero temperatures. Gil Tal, directior of Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC Davis, weighs in.

New Scientist

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