Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Chris Jones

@drcgjones.bsky.social

3K followers 740 following 2.2K posts

Current president of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association and lecturer in applied engineering at SM TAFE WA. Interested in transport, energy, motorbikes, environment and biodiversity. Living on Whadjuk country, born on Ghitabul country.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Chris Jones @drcgjones.bsky.social · 4h

If it's 2.5 or 3 kW, it's probably capable of going 50 km/h - that makes it a moped and should be licensed as such.
Likewise, if it's over 4 kW, its easily a motorcycle - great - stay off the share path.
But e-bikes faster than 25 km/h, but not more than 35 km/h need a home.

Chris Jones @drcgjones.bsky.social · 18h

If you're going to need a car, make it electric, and make it small. You can't tell me with a straight face that EVs are too expensive any more.

The Australian Electric Vehicle Association @aevanational.bsky.social · 2d

CONFIRMED: Australia's cheapest EV the BYD Atto 1 (nee Dolphin Surf) will land in November with an estimated mid $20k starting price. Competing squarely with the small ICE segment like the Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2. Price parity has arrived.

www.drive.com.au/news/2026-by...

The rebranded Dolphin Surf will arrive as the BYD Atto 1, and be Australia's new cheapest EV | Drive

Two more models will arrive in BYD showrooms in the next six months, and one will be the most affordable EV in Australia.

www.drive.com.au

1 4

Reposted by Chris Jones

Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 1d

This is the main issue I have with so much of the coverage around e-bikes. It's not that there aren't legitimate issues. But there is a panic around e-bikes and crickets regarding the daily toll of cars. And that's because the harm of cars is just accepted. It's baked into our society.

AB @ab-cabra.bsky.social · 2d

The deference we give to drivers is astonishing: speeding, blowing through red lights, crashing without a whisper; yet we jump on non-drivers the moment they step out of line.

4 87 390

Chris Jones @drcgjones.bsky.social · 2d

I think they probably feel their own thoughts and ideas aren't as good as they'd like them to be, and AI does a good job of making it look better. But they're also unable to discern good ideas from bad when they're only exposed to meh. Reading and writing is like weight training for the brain.

Chris Jones @drcgjones.bsky.social · 2d

In Australia, EV sales are really picking up in the outer suburbs of our cities, where public transport is sparse and daily commutes are long. They were always strong in wealthier suburbs, but that's moving further out.

Chris Jones @drcgjones.bsky.social · 2d

Of course it wasn't written anywhere, but it was made abundantly clear that if we did, we wouldn't get funding from them ever again...

Chris Jones @drcgjones.bsky.social · 2d

I was shocked when I worked there as a science guide that we were explicitly not allowed to produce an exhibit on global warming and climate change. And we just... went along with it.

3 17

Chris Jones @drcgjones.bsky.social · 2d

How can I convince a well-meaning, but AI-obsessed volunteer that a 30-page Gemini-generated facsimile of a submission is of *substantially* lower value than a 3-page human-written submission to a government inquiry?
I can only assume it's because they're not *expecting* someone to read it?

3 5

Reposted by Chris Jones

Paul Eric Scannell @pauleric70.bsky.social · 2d

They tried to erase Palestine, but the world has become Palestine.

The outrage is global. The world is rising against genocide.

Thank you Amsterdam.