Over the winter I visited BMW World, and its neighboring museum, in Munich, Germany. I loved seeing how the company got its start and how far it has come since it helped to invent the automobile at the beginning of the 20th century. I think their first product was actually an airplane engine. But you and I both know that the paradigm is changing. The internal combustion engine (ICE) is going away and pretty soon we won't be driving, so much as being driven around by our cars. Bloomberg recently published an interesting article about this shift and about BMW. Here is an excerpt:

The fact that both combustion engines and electric motors find themselves inside the same 18,000-person complex in Dingolfing, BMW’s largest in Europe, makes it a microcosm of a shift overtaking automakers the world over. A visitor can see that 625-horsepower engine—more than twice as powerful as the original from 1985, a luxury product relentlessly branded as “the ultimate driving machine”—then walk around the corner and see its puny electric replacement. You start thinking the better slogan might be “the ultimate combustion engine.” As in: last of its kind.

Electric motors are a hell of a lot simpler to manufacture (and service) than gasoline engines. BMW estimates that they take about 30% less time to make. So the impacts of this transformation span everything from supply chain to human capital. Today, about 10% of the work that goes on in Dingolfing is related to electric vehicles.

About a year ago I wrote about how NYC is considering a congestion charge on vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th street. Well it looks like that plan could be adopted as early as April 1 (however the fees won't start until 2021). Here's a map of the proposed congestion pricing zone from the NY Times:

I have written extensively on road pricing over the years and so I won't repeat myself here today. Suffice to say that I think creating a sustainable funding source for transit and other mobility options is a positive step forward.

We drove on the Autobahn today. Our Ford remained as smooth as ever. They take their cars seriously here and force regular inspections. But this got me wondering about safety records and why more countries haven't adopted similar approaches to highway driving. Here is Germany's 2014 record from Wikipedia:

It turns out that the injury and fatality rates on the Autobahn -- measured per billion vehicle kilometers traveled -- are actually relatively low compared to urban and rural road classes. It is also relatively low compared to international standards. Here is a 2012 comparison, also via Wikipedia:

Europe as a whole does very well in this regard (not that this specifically addresses Autobahn safety). Generally, fatalities have declined significantly over the last few decades. Here is a chart from the World Health Organization:

What is clear to me after seeing this data, though, is that the greater problem looks to exist outside of our highways and motorways.