Disney is rolling out a new wave of price hikes that its subscribers will probably be none too pleased to be hit with. Beginning October 17th, individual monthly and annual plans for Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN are all going up.

Monthly subscriptions to Disney Plus with ads will jump from $8 a month to $10. The monthly Disney Plus ad-free tier will increase from $14 to $16, and annual ad-free plans will rise from their previous $140 price point to $160. Hulu’s ad-supported tier will rise from $8 / month and $80 / year to $10 / month and $100 / year, and monthly ad-free plans will jump from $18 to $19. ESPN Plus’ $11 / month and $110 / year plans will now cost $12 / month and $120 / year, respectively. And people subscribed to Disney’s basic and premium streaming bundles will also see their bills getting a bit more expensive this fall.

Along with the new prices, Disney Plus is also giving subscribers access to ABC News Live and a series of curated playlists serving up content from across the company’s portfolio beginning September 4th. The first playlist to hit the service will be focused on things for preschool-aged audiences, and Disney plans on launching four additional categories — Seasonal, Epic Stories (Marvel and Star Wars fare), Throwbacks (older shows and films), and Real Life (documentaries) — in the near future.

The playlist news tracks with past reports of Disney wanting to get into the FAST channel game to offer subscribers a low-effort way of finding things to watch. And while the price hikes similarly gel with Disney’s continued push for streaming profitability, the move isn’t likely to be a welcome change for viewers when it rolls out.

The surge in the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has brought an unexpected challenge to the forefront. Despite being the third-largest EV market in the nation, Los Angeles and its surrounding areas face a critical shortage of charging infrastructure. A recent study by real estate giant CBRE has dubbed this region a “charging desert,” highlighting the growing disparity between EV ownership and accessible charging options.

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What is a ‘charging desert’ and how was it discovered?

With an advanced digital mapping tool, CBRE assessed EV charging needs nationwide to help its clients. The tool’s purpose was to inform charging networks and property owners to locate and select the optimal locations to install new EV chargers.

This digital mapping tool combines data from approximately 80 sources, from mobile phones and housing type to EV ownership, to name a few. Comparing these sources gave CBRE valuable insights, such as whether most EV owners charge their vehicles at home or work.

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Electric vehicle at a charging station (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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LA’s charging deserts: Key areas lacking sufficient EV infrastructure

The tool revealed that parts of L.A. have significant charging deserts, which are areas where there are not enough public, accessible fast-charging stations to meet the needs of the area. These areas include:

• Inglewood
• Long Beach
• Sherman Oaks
• Studio City
• Lomita
• Southwest Torrance
• Westwood (UCLA)
• Fullerton (Cal State Fullerton)
• Redondo Beach

Electric vehicle at a charging station (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Why are there ‘charging deserts’?

A variety of factors lead to a “charging desert,” including but not limited to a strong rental market in which most people do not have the ability to charge in their homes. 

For example, Inglewood is made up of almost 70% of renters. And despite more than 1,000 registered EVs in the area and even more driving through daily, there are no public chargers in that area. Additionally, there are issues of inadequate power infrastructure, such as electrical substations for distributing additional power. Also, in densely populated urban areas like L.A., limited parking space makes it challenging to install charging stations.

However, Los Angeles is installing EV chargers on light poles to help meet the growing demand for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

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Electric vehicle at a charging station (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Challenges of EV charging infrastructure in the US

The electric vehicle (EV) market in the U.S. is witnessing significant growth, with over 1 million EVs sold last year, marking a record high. However, the share of electric vehicles in light-vehicle sales has seen a slight decline, dropping from 8.1% in Q4 2023 to 7% in Q1 2024, as reported by Cox Automotive. Despite this dip, research indicates a “second, significant wave” of potential EV buyers is anticipated in the latter half of the decade.

CBRE’s recent analysis underscores the considerable gap that remains in the charging infrastructure necessary to facilitate this shift, emphasizing the urgency for enhanced investment and development in EV charging solutions.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Even though Los Angeles has nearly 588,000 EVs registered to make up 4.2% of the cars being driven, there are huge gaps in readily available EV charging options. Though the city of L.A. is working to help meet this demand by installing chargers on light poles, L.A. and the rest of the U.S. have a long way to go before having the infrastructure to support America’s shift from gasoline-powered vehicles.

Do you have an EV? If so, has charging been a challenge? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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House of the Dragon has just concluded its second season, but we now know there are two more to look forward to. As reported by Variety, House of the Dragon showrunner and co-creator Ryan Condal confirmed during a press event that the series would have four seasons in total, with the third expected to go into production in “earlyish 2025.”

This is the first time that HBO has confirmed how many seasons the Game of Thrones prequel will have, but the network hasn’t revealed how many episodes remain. “I haven’t had discussions with HBO about it,” Condal said when asked whether Season 3 will have eight episodes, matching that of its second season. “I would just anticipate the cadence of the show, from a dramatic storytelling perspective, will continue to be the same from Season 2 on.”

That estimate is a smidge below what “A Song of Ice and Fire” author George R.R. Martin previously suggested. In 2022, he said that House of the Dragon would likely require four 10-episode-long seasons to “do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish.” Viewers may also have a lengthy wait ahead of them given the almost two-year gap between the first two seasons, but the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms series — yet another Game of Thrones prequel — should help to keep fans sated when it premieres next year.