The TechMobility Podcast
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The TechMobility Podcast
BMW's Autonomous Revolution, Ethanol's Green Promise, and Singapore's Water Mastery
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Unlock the secrets to the future of transportation and sustainability with Ken Chester on this episode of the TechMobility Show. Discover how BMW is quietly reshaping the automotive industry with their Automated Driving In-Plant (AFW) system, allowing vehicles to autonomously navigate off the production line—a scene straight out of the 2002 movie "Minority Report." This discussion isn't just about tech dreams; it's about pioneering real-world automotive advancements that sidestep the shackles of government regulations, spotlighting BMW's innovative spirit in the realm of self-driving technology.
The journey doesn't stop with autonomous driving. Delve into the world of sustainable fuels, where ethanol takes center stage in the quest to replace fossil fuels. Learn how biofuels like FAME, biomethanol, and RNG are poised to revolutionize energy consumption in the transportation sector. Explore the potential of green hydrogen as a game-changer, despite its current energy challenges. These insights, backed by McKinsey's research projections, paint a promising picture of a decarbonized future, highlighting the role of sustainable fuels in complementing the electric vehicle movement.
Water management and infrastructure take the spotlight as Ken examines Singapore's leap from water scarcity to global leadership in water technology. Contrast its innovative solutions with the varied challenges faced by the U.S., and gain a deeper appreciation for the often-overlooked infrastructure delivering clean water to our taps. The episode wraps up with a look at the best and worst U.S. states for road quality, revealing regional disparities and the impact of investment on infrastructure. Get ready to challenge your understanding of mobility, sustainability, and infrastructure as we explore these vital topics.
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Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast.
Ken Chester:I'm Ken Chester. On the docket. What are sustainable fuels, new solutions to keep water flowing and the best and worst roads in the United States. To join the conversation, be it to share an opinion, ask a question or even suggest a topic for a future show, call or text the TechMobility hotline. That number, as always, 872-222-9793, or you can email the show directly. Talk at techmobilityshow. Be sure to check us out on social media, our YouTube channel and our two podcast streams the Tech Mobility Podcast and Tech Mobility Topics
Ken Chester:From the Tech Mobility News Desk:
Ken Chester:At the risk of sounding a little cliche-ish, I'm going to say it's deja vu all over again. What I'm looking at from I believe this is automotive news and the headline is new BMWs MIare are driving themselves off the assembly line. What began as a pilot program in 2022 is now a fully operational system at two BMW factories, with more to come. I keep coming back to the same movie that is now 22 years old, but it was very prophetic and regular listeners have probably heard me reference this movie before relative to automotive development. And the movie is, yes, minority Report. It starred Tom Cruise and while it talked about the modern society in 2054 that developed something called pre-crime they could predict crime before it happened and actually stop it before it occurred. One of the scenes in that movie and there are several but this particular one he was fighting a nemesis in a fully automated Lexus plant in 2054, where the vehicles were being built by computer. There was nobody in the room and the cars drove themselves off the assembly line off the assembly line. This was in the year 2002. It did not take 50 years, it took 20. This is actually happening for real.
Ken Chester:30 years early, the BMW group is expanding its automated driving implant system to more factories in Europe. Thousands of brand new BMWs are rolling off assembly lines every day without a driver behind the wheel, and that's because the German luxury automakers fully implemented an autonomous driving system that allows finished vehicles to drive themselves on a predefined course inside the factory a predefined course inside the factory. The system, called Automated Driving Implant, or AFW, debuted as a pilot program in 2022 at BMW's largest European factory. Now, however, the system has evolved and is ready for serious production duty. This is happening. Initially, the autonomous driving setup was used in the latest generation i5 and i7 electric sedans assembled in de-golfing, but now the system is ready for prime time. Other BMW models, as well as the new Mini Countryman, will be ferried around the factory without a driver behind the wheel.
Ken Chester:Now let me stop right here. Even though this is a predetermined route and it's geofenced, it's still very important because the automaker is learning, through what will be thousands of vehicles, how self-driving vehicles work. Even though it's roughly a little more than a half a mile, where even though it's roughly a little more than a half a mile, but it's going to go through a testing course, all sorts of things that it's going to go through, and they can add more to it as they get more experience and roll it out to more plants. Imagine a day where this comes off, the assembly line goes through an on-road test within the confines of the facility, like a test track or something, where they check for leaks and rattles and squeaks and everything, and then it delivers itself to either the railroad car or the truck that is ready to take it to wherever it's going and no human has driven it, other than saving some money by not having to have people to drive these. It's giving the automaker real-time, real-world experience and it also points out. This is in their vehicles today. Today it's the kind of development they can do that is not subject to government regulations because they're doing it all within their plan on their property. But so much they can learn by just doing it within their plant on their property. But so much they can learn by just doing it what goes right, what goes wrong, and maybe even expand it across the grounds test tracks of other sorts of evaluation and validation situations more and more so they can do it completely on the grounds without even leaving and learning so much.
Ken Chester:See, bmw has kind of been the silent type when it comes to autonomous driving. You know, when we talk autonomous driving on this program, we've talked about Waymo, we've talked about cruise automation, we've talked about a variety of other small startups, we've talked about it happening in trucking, but we really haven't talked about companies doing their own little thing, like BMW is doing here and what may be happening with General Motors in Warren Michigan right now on their test tracks, taking super crews to the next level, which no doubt, I am very sure is probably happening in some small scale in some corner of the very elaborate, very large Warren Michigan testing grounds which I've been to. It's been over 30 years, but it's very elaborate and they have everything. Does this mean that there will be a self-driving BMW in your driveway in the next couple of years? No, no, it doesn't. But what it does mean is, as BMW rolls us out to more assembly plants, as they get more different vehicles, as they learn how to tweak the software for the even little short distance that these vehicles are traveling autonomously.
Ken Chester:Make no mistake, this is autonomous driving right now. Right now it's a small way, but right now that's happening for real. What they're saying now several German factories will get it, and right now they're saying that at the Leipzig factory the company's implementing the system now. 90% of the models assembled there will be driven autonomously off the assembly line. After that the Regensburg plant in Germany will get it and the Oxford factory in the United Kingdom will get AFW next year. So they're rolling out little bit by little bit and what they said basically at the main site freshly assembled cars drive without anyone behind the wheel for a route of about 1 kilometer, which is about 0.62 miles. Freshly assembled cars drive without anyone behind the wheel for a route of about one kilometer, which is about 0.62 miles. The cars begin their autonomous drive from two assembly halls, go through a short test course and arrive at the finishing area inside the same facility. Over the next 10 years, we will log several million test kilometers with automated driving in-plant in our production network alone. That's what a company official said.
Ken Chester:In this way, bmw Group is once again setting a new benchmark for automation and digitalization of its production processes, while paving the way for future applications in the field of autonomous driving. It's basically a genius idea, because their vehicles are being equipped with it at some small level. No doubt it will not be turned on for main street driving, but everything they learn they can apply to the development, and they do that on the cheap, because every vehicle off the line, every single one, will have an autonomous experience. Bmw says that the system that they have, that they're using, includes a series of sensors installed along the route and relies on an externally generated environment model as well as external movement planner. They say that the system is the largest LIDAR infrastructure in Europe and that the next step is to introduce it to other areas of production, like driving through more test zones and outdoor distribution areas, like I said.
Ken Chester:So if you can only imagine, this is the same company that said not quite 10 years ago that the model that we have used for selling cars doesn't work anymore, that we are first of all and BMW was one of the first companies to say it we're going to go electric all in, and this was in 2015.
Ken Chester:Think of all the progress that has happened since then. Evs and batteries and technology, recycling and all of this stuff has evolved since then. Like 2015 is almost like the dark ages for EVs, literally, and BMW was making that bold statement then. On the flip side, we've reported here Toyota will have a 600-mile range EV battery within the next two years and by the end of the decade they will have developed a battery pack for a vehicle that will go 1,000 miles. Add that to BMW's quest for autonomous driving within their plants and this thing's coming Because technology waits for nobody. It just keeps going and evolving Change is the only constant E-fuels, synthetic fuels, alternative fuels, sustainable fuels. I will attempt to break through the clutter. Next you are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.
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Advertisement :Social media is the main place to be these days, and we are no exception.
Advertisement :I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show.
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Advertisement :Social media is the place to be these days. And we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the TechM obility show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight. You be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Advertisement :For those of you that listen to podcasts, we have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week, shorter than a full show. These bite-sized programs are just the thing.
Advertisement :Forward and reverse parking sensors just one of the many innovative features available in the all-new Mercury Monterey. A simple-to-use fold-flat third-row seat Just one of the many innovative features available in the all-new Mercury Monterey.
Advertisement :Okay, I guess I need to explain that setup before I even go any further. It just occurred to me that there may be a group of folks that have never heard of the Mercury brand, so let me explain. Mercury was a mid-range brand for the Ford Motor Company from basically the late 1930s to 2011. Mercury was it was Ford Mercury, then Lincoln. They built a minivan called the Mercury Monterey and that TV commercial showed actually they were parodying the Chrysler minivans and their shortcomings and how the Mercury Monterey offered consumers a better experience. Whether it's pulling out the last seat, where in the Chryslers back then you had to pull them out, they were awfully heavy. In the Mercury Monterey they folded into the floor, something that Honda mastered and I thought was pretty trick. So they were just showing the consumer why their minivan is a better choice, particularly in backing those in a very tight situation. It had sensors. The Chryslers didn't. It showed somebody in a Chrysler just basically tearing up a couple of cars trying to back into a spot. In the case of Mercury they had the sensors that warned them they were too close. That didn't happen. So Mercury Mercury it was a great brand when it was around, but it's not around anymore For this segment.
Advertisement :I have tossed around a lot of terms at you down through the years E-fuels, synthetic fuels, renewable fuels, sustainable fuels. What does this all mean? Well, let's start on a point where we can agree. That's easy. We all know what fossil fuels are, and that's gasoline and diesel anything made from crude oil. It's considered a fossil fuel because fossils are basically the basis of millions of years ago, of where this stuff came from. I have the definition and I'm going to share. I'm going to walk you through different types of sustainable fuels, and in doing that, this is topic A. This is a McKinsey and Company white paper that was issued back in October. So let me read the obvious.
Advertisement :Sustainable fuels are made from renewable materials instead of from fossil fuels. They include biofuels made from organic matter, so-called green gasoline and hydrogen-based fuels. Give an example Ethanol. Ethanol would be considered a sustainable fuel. Why? Because, in the case of ethanol, most ethanol in the United States is derived from corn and if you remember last week, our last visit together, I talked about at least in Iowa, 62% of the corn planted in the Hawkeye State is used to make ethanol and it's processed in 42 different ethanol plants within the state. Iowa's ethanol meets 30% of the standard. We make 30% of the ethanol used in blends in the United States of America, and we are a sustainable fuel. Something else and I want to point this out that you may not be familiar with Other biofuels include what they call fatty acid methyl ester, or FAME, which is a type of biodiesel derived from either vegetable oils or animal fats.
Advertisement :Biomethanol is produced from agricultural residues, woody biomass or byproducts from pulp mills, and biogas there's another word for that, I'm going to give it to you in a minute is produced through the. Basically it's an aneba, an ingestion of waste streams such as manure, food waste and wastewater, and it turns into other stuff. They call that instead of biogas. They would call it RNG, which is short for renewable natural gas, another term that they'll use. When we talk about sustainable fuels, they're talking about basically four different types Conventional biomass-based fuels. I just talked about biodiesel and I talked about ethanol. Those are two Something called drop-in sustainable fuels.
Advertisement :These can be used in existing conventional internal combustion engines and can be produced from either edible or residue biomass sources by using low-carbon hydrogen or synthesizing sustainable captured carbon and low-carbon hydrogen. Drop-in fuels have already been used as replacement for diesel, jet fuel and natural gas. They also call that in jet fuel, sustainable aviation fuel or SAF, and we've talked about that here. And when they say drop-in they mean literally you can use it in place of, with little or no adjustment to the engine, no major expense. It's about as close to a substitute as you can get without spending any money. So by using a drop in sustainable fuel, many fleets could reduce their carbon footprint just by doing that. You do it every time you buy ethanol. You reduce your carbon footprint over buying just regular gasoline, and I bet you didn't know that. That's just one other advantage.
Advertisement :Then there's the fourth one. They call this non-drop-in e-fuels or hydrogen-based fuels. These are manufactured by using captured carbon and hydrogen from low-carbon electricity sources such as renewable or nuclear energy. Low-carbon hydrogen produced through electrolysis is also sometimes known as liquid hydrogen or gaseous hydrogen. If you take the hydrogen through electrolysis and the high electricity demand is met by a renewable source such as wind or solar power, what you have is green hydrogen. Unfortunately, right now green hydrogen is only 1% of the hydrogen mix because of the intensity required of electric power that's needed and they need to build these close to renewable energy sources in order for it to work. There is a move afoot in the country to ramp that up significantly, but they're just not there yet and it will take a while, because that's probably the biggest problem.
Advertisement :Whether you know it or not, most hydrogen that's made is actually made from reformulating natural gas, so just regular hydrogen, which they get into all the colors and I'm sorry but I'm going to use this. They call that gray hydrogen, which is regular hydrogen. As far as you need to know, it's made from natural gas. They actually use natural gas as what they call a feedstock or a base material in order to manipulate it to turn it into hydrogen. When they use an electrolyzer from water, they basically strip hydrogen out of water. What makes it green is the power they use. They use renewable power to do that. It's a totally green process. There's no carbon used. They create the hydrogen. They do it through a renewable source and it's renewable all the way. But again, it's a very energy-intensive process, which is why it's late to the party McKinsey.
Advertisement :Research indicates that most sustainable fuels other than clean hydrogen are projected to see significant growth by 2030, and they expect demand for sustainable fuels by 2050 to quadruple Quadruple. They anticipate that by that time, the shared demand for sustainable fuels by 2050 to quadruple Quadruple. They anticipate that by that time, the shared demand for sustainable fuels could account for as much as 37% of all the energy used in the transportation sector. Not everything's going to go EV, but yet you need to decarbonize. Sustainable fuels is one way that can happen and makes a lot more economic sense for a lot of different applications. Next up, one country's mission to keep drinkable water on tap.
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Advertisement :Social media, it's the place to be and w e're no exception. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show..
Advertisement :Several times a week, I post to TikTok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology news and information. Several times a week, I post to TikTok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology, news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the Tech Mobility Show on TikTok Check it out. Water
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Advertisement :I am fascinated with water. Donna made a very early age that you turn on the United States of America and most of the time in most communities, clean drinkable water comes out of the tap. We take it so for granted. I mean, think about this, most of us. You get ready to take a shower. What do you do? You turn on the water. You let it run until it gets hot. How many gallons of that water, that precious resource, goes down the drain, unused, underappreciated, because it wasn't warm enough or cold enough? Us Americans, we do that all the time. Enough, us Americans, we do that all the time.
Advertisement :About 10 years ago, when I had a local show here in Des Moines, the problems in Flint, Michigan, were just coming online. It was just becoming very public and I had wondered if that could happen here. So I did a lot of research. I had some guests on and I learned that the EPA is the arbiter and enforcer of federal clean water regulations in the United States, but they defer that ability to usually agencies within individual states. In Iowa it's the Department of Natural Resources. I learned that well water is better than surface water. It doesn't have to be cleaned as much, it doesn't have to be processed as hard. I learned that there's all sorts of things that, in fact, some of the disinfectants that we put into the water to purify the water actually become a pollutant in and of itself and have to be dealt with. I learned that the EPA monitors 85 different contaminants in the water.
Advertisement :So, yeah, I've been fascinated with water my whole life and when it comes to water conservation, reuse and recycling, it's not something we do a lot here, but in some parts of the world, namely Singapore, singapore leads the world, and why is that? Because they're a city they're an island Six million people growing as a business center, exploding. In fact, they have no freshwater resources to speak of and they had no choice. This has been their thing for years. They buy the majority of their fresh water from Malaysia. They use ways to. If it rains, they've got systems to capture every drop. They put it in 17 different reservoirs, they desalinate ocean water and they recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle to the point where their recycled wastewater actually is branded and is used and we talked about it in another segment where we talked about they actually made a beer from it. Pretty awesome, but it got me wondering that.
Advertisement :You know, here is a country that is growing and they take water seriously. We've talked about the Colorado River. We talked about water as a resource almost as important as any other quality resource and, honestly, could bring a community on its knees, which, as much as I like Arizona probably why I would never live there because I'm scared of the day that they could not get a drop of water because folks, arizona's desert, desert and they get that water and if you want to bring a community to its knees, turn off its electricity, turn off the water and it's over. Those two things would bring everything to halt one way or another, because we use water for everything. Everything they talked about and I'm looking at this article and they're talking about their cutting-edge water management system in Singapore that combines technology, diplomacy and community involvement to help one of the most water stressed nations in the world secure its water future. Having, in recent decades, become a modern international business hub, it's got a rapidly developing economy. Check this out. The boom has caused the country's water consumption to increase by 12 times since they got their independence from Malaysia in 1965. That's not even 60 years and the economy is only expected to keep growing. Folks, I didn't say 12%, I said 12 times, 12 times, 12 times. So, needless to say, they teach kids from an early age about water conservation. They do big things to get the public to buy in that. This is our very future. If we don't go this way, if we don't continue to go this way, we don't make it.
Advertisement :It's pure and simple and when you think of everything that water is used for, I mean everything. It washes things, it purifies things, it cleans things, it sterilizes things. You use it cold, you use it hot, you use it in circulation systems, you use it frozen, you use it thawed Water is used. It is the very lifeblood of not only human beings but a business in the world. Water is part of just about everything we do, everything. It's your shower in the morning, it's what takes away the sewage and the waste out of your bathroom, it is the stuff that when you shave or you freshen up in your face bowl, that it's water that takes those contaminants to surge treatment. And they figured out a way to purify that water to a rate where that reusable water is drinkable.
Advertisement :I know, I know you're probably going ew, but you know what? 12 times since 1965, their water demand has increased and is still growing. Six million people are dependent. How many gallons a day do you even think that the average person uses? And you're looking at six million people a day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, seven days a week, every day, every month, every year how many millions or billions of gallons of water is that? And if you're getting it from the ocean, you're getting it from the sky and you're getting it from Malaysia, and you do it everything you can, because even though you are that aggressive at water conservation, it still may not be enough. The matter of fact, singapore is so advanced in the water management that they've actually got studies and companies that study what they do. It's become a global hub for water technology, home to nearly 200 water companies and 20 research centers, and even hosts a once every two years International Water Week. Water technology developed and used in Singapore, such as portable water filters, water testing technology and flood management tools, have been exported to over 30 countries.
Advertisement :You talk about water security and certainly it's something to be considered. The irony is, in the United States, we have a country that is vast we are over 330 million souls. We have all kinds of weather. Our big problem is the amount of water we get, when we get it and our inability to do anything about it. If only we could get the water in those areas where it's raining, raining, raining and flooding over to the places where people need the water in our country. That would be awesome, but again, that is almost a prohibitive cost.
Advertisement :So, yes, water is important. Maybe not as critical as Singapore, but it's something that we need to think more about and stop taking so much for granted. Maybe the next time you take a shower, just take a minute and marvel at the miracle that is our water infrastructure, that you got clean, drinkable, reliable water. Almost every time you turn that tap on and we take it so much for granted. It's amazing, it's truly a miracle.
Advertisement :The federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics has identified the best and worst roads by state in America. How does yours stack up.
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Ken Chester:Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate. Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Ken Chester:There's no shortage of talk about America's crumbling infrastructure, but just how bad is it? Before I go any further, I need to make a distinction, though. I'm quoting a recent article from Autoblog, which was reporting on statistics released by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics Federal Agency, and we're talking about 2022. The reason why I make that distinction is that for many parts of the country over the next 10 years, this may not be as dire for some states as it is now, why Recent legislation passed over the last couple of years, that is, putting projects to fix roads and mend bridges and fix infrastructure. But it's like anything, it's infrastructure. Infrastructure lasts for decades and it takes time to fix or replace, and in the next 10 years, you'll see a lot of that. So I want to make that distinction before I get started. Now.
Ken Chester:They contend that at the time, us road quality isn't what it once was. But that can vary drastically from state to state. And for sure, I've done some traveling and I can tell you that some states the roads are wonderful, some states it's like what? And we're only going to have time to talk about the top five that are the worst, the top five that are the best. But if you Googled Bureau of Transportation Statistics and you looked at 2022 for the most recent year of data available, you could probably find it. But let me give you this For the year 2022, the most recent year of available data, it was 144,000 miles of what they call unacceptably rough roads. That mileage was more than the total miles of all the roads in California, texas and Florida Combined Two of the largest states with all that land area Combined California, texas and Florida combined Two of the largest states with all that land area combined.
Ken Chester:So what are we talking about when we talk about bad roads? What exactly are they talking about? So let me explain that first, then we can get into this so you understand. The term they use is unacceptably rough roads. When accessing road quality, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics uses something called the International Roughness Index, the IRI, which measures how a vehicle bounces over a given stretch of road. Roads with higher IRI scores are considered rougher, while those with lower scores are smoother. The threshold for an unacceptable road is set at an IRI of 170 inches per mile or greater. I wanted to couch that for you so you knew what we were evaluating this on.
Ken Chester:I'm going to start with the five states with the worst road quality, and I was kind of surprised at a couple of them. Worst state in the United States of America for road quality Hawaii. Highest percentage of unacceptable miles of any state. About 39% of their roads were unacceptable and in the 20 years prior their share increased by 13% nearly six times worse than the national average. Hawaii Number two this caught me off guard.
Ken Chester:Rhode Island. Rhode Island is number two and although they've made improvements to the road since 2018, they still have a long way to go and they have the second highest percentage of unacceptable miles of any state in the country 37%. More than one-third of the roads in Rhode Island are unacceptably rough. Roads in Rhode Island are unacceptably rough and in the last 20 years that share increased 20%, nearly nine times worse than the national average. Number three a state that I have yet to go to and I'm talking to y'all out there yes, it's New Mexico. Third highest percentage of unacceptable miles in any state in the country. One third, one out of every three miles of road in New Mexico is considered unacceptable, unacceptably rough, by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, and their share of these roads over the previous 20 years increased by 16%. Ouch, number four this really threw me.
Ken Chester:Number four the state of Connecticut, where at one time had, outside of Delaware, one of the most highest concentration of corporate offices Connecticut. They've made major improvements since 2015, when that percentage was over 50%, meaning that one out of every two miles of road in Connecticut were bad. That was in 2015. But even after 10 years of upgrades, they still come in at number four with one third of their roads still bad, and it's gotten worse over the last 20 years by 11%. Number five sort of not surprised, but I need to kind of explain myself because this starts. They start with 30 years ago Mississippi, that the roads 30 years ago, Mississippi, that the roads 30 years ago were actually better than the national average. This goes back into the 1990s. Mississippi roads one of the poorest states in the country, had good roads, go figure, but that was then. Decades of neglect have sent the quality of the state's roads declining drastically.
Ken Chester:2022, fifth highest percentage of unacceptable roads. That was 30%. Almost a third. Since 2002, unacceptable roads increased nine percentage points, about three times worse than the national average Mississippi. I would have expected poorer states like Mississippi to be on this list.
Ken Chester:Because of a limited tax base, you've got to make decisions about where the money's going and maintenance not necessarily high on the list. You do what you can, you patch and, being a southern state, they could have gotten away with it a lot longer than a northern state where, a couple of winters, you have no choice between salt freezing, thawing. You got to spend the money. You don't have a choice, and that also surprised me. You would have thought, outside of Connecticut, that some more of the states in the northern part of the United States would be some of the worst roads because of weather, because of salt and sand and things like that. Nope, nope, nope, not true. Let me work backwards. I'm going to keep you in suspense.
Ken Chester:Fifth best state with roads Idaho. Only 5% of their roads were rough Since 2002, they actually decreased that by two percentage points. Number four Kansas and I've driven in Kansas and I agree with this. They've been above average for decades, but they've gotten better. Fourth best. Number three Wyoming Another state I've been to. They are third best, with just over 4% of their roads considered unacceptably rough. Number two this one threw me because I've driven these roads and they were awful, would you believe? Indiana and they said, even as late as 2019, nearly a quarter of their roads were unacceptable, but they spent the money and got that down to 3%. Number one best state with best roads in the United States of America Alabama. Less than 2% of Alabama roads are bad and they've made a priority of keeping the best roads in the country. They've spent the money. They've allocated the resources.
Ken Chester:We've come to the end of our visit. Be sure to join me again next time, right here. This has been the Tech Mobility Show. Again next time right here.
Closing :This has been the Tech Mobility Show. The Tech Mobility Show is a copywritten production of Tech Mobility Productions, incorporated. Any rebroadcast, retransmission or any other use is prohibited without the written consent of Tech Mobility
Ken Chester:Do you listen to podcasts? We have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week, shorter than a full show. These bite-sized programs are just the thing, particularly if you're interested in a particular topic covered on the weekly radio show. From Apple Podcasts to iHeartRadio and many podcast platforms in between, we got you covered. Just enter TechMobility Topics in the search bar. Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media, it's the place to be. We're no exception. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Several times a week, I post to TikTok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility technology news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the Tech Mobility Show on TikTok. Check it out.
Ken Chester:To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobility. show. That's techmobility. show. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobility. show.
Ken Chester:Do you listen to podcasts? Seems that most people do. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. If you've missed any of our weekly episodes on the radio, our podcast is a great way to listen. You can find the Tech Mobility Podcast just about anywhere. You can enjoy podcasts. Be sure to follow us from Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio and many platforms in between. We are there. Just enter the Tech Mobility Podcast in the search bar wherever you listen to podcasts.
