AutoblogGreen http://green.autoblog.com AutoblogGreen http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif AutoblogGreen http://green.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid and Dan RothThe podcast by the people who obsessively cover the auto industry.<![CDATA[Chip Yates announces plan to trace historic Lindbergh transatlantic flight in electric aircraft]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/23/chip-yates-announces-plan-to-trace-historic-lindbergh-transatlan/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/23/chip-yates-announces-plan-to-trace-historic-lindbergh-transatlan/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/23/chip-yates-announces-plan-to-trace-historic-lindbergh-transatlan/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

chip yates electric plane

Chip Yates retired his electric motorcycle last year after setting records at the Mohave Mile and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and notching several (slower than Lightning) FIM World Land Speed achievements on the Bonneville Salt Flats. If you thought he was done with his pursuit of battery-powered feats, however, you have underestimated just how crazy this Californian is. Case in point? He's just announced a plan to trace the path Charles Lindbergh took during his historic flight from New York to Paris in an electric airplane.

Not just any electric airplane though. To get around the energy density limits of today's batteries, the craft is to be refueled during in-flight rendezvous with drones, which will either recharge or swap packs. No, we're not making this up.

In the time it takes to make this flight of fancy flight of the century happen, Chip will keep busy with other high-flying adventures. He is currently converting a Burt Rutan Long-EZ (now dubbed the Long-ESA, for "Electric Speed & Altitude") to battery power, with which he will attempt altitude and speed records this summer. He is also in the midst of taking another important step in achieving immortal airborne fame: getting his pilot's license.

Scroll below for more transatlantic flight details in the official press release. You can keep up with Chip's flying adventures on his Twitter feed and at his new Flight of the Century website.

Continue reading Chip Yates announces plan to trace historic Lindbergh transatlantic flight in electric aircraft

Chip Yates announces plan to trace historic Lindbergh transatlantic flight in electric aircraft originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 23 May 2012 07:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chip yateselectric airplaneelectric airplane speed recordelectric altitude recordelectric vehicletransatlantictransatlantic electric flightWed, 23 May 2012 07:51:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20242936/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20242936/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/05/23/chip-yates-announces-plan-to-trace-historic-lindbergh-transatlan/20242936/article-detail.xml 20242936 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/chip-yates-infinite-electric-plane-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/chip-yates-infinite-electric-plane-628.jpg <![CDATA[Honda finds a way to make the Segway look elegant [w/video]]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/15/honda-finds-a-way-to-make-the-segway-look-elegant/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/15/honda-finds-a-way-to-make-the-segway-look-elegant/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/15/honda-finds-a-way-to-make-the-segway-look-elegant/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Honda Uni-Cub Personal Mobility Device

Honda is jumping into the personal-mobility vehicle market associated with the Segway, and the Japanese automaker even has a cute name for the device.

Honda will start demonstration tests for its UNI-CUB vehicle in June of 2012 with Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

Honda, which has been working on a plan for personal mobility devices since 2009, says the vehicle will offer firm balance and all-directional capabilities, similar to the Segway, though the person will be sitting lower on the device, allowing for "eye-level" stature, the company said.

No specifics as far as sales and price have been disclosed, but Honda says the UNI-CUB sits about 29 inches tall, has a maximum speed of about three and a half miles per hour and a single-charge range of about three and a half miles. Read all about it in the press release below, along with a video of the machine in action.

Continue reading Honda finds a way to make the Segway look elegant [w/video]

Honda finds a way to make the Segway look elegant [w/video] originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 15 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>electric vehiclehondajapanpersonal mobilitysegwayuni-cubTue, 15 May 2012 18:00:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20238406/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20238406/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/05/15/honda-finds-a-way-to-make-the-segway-look-elegant/20238406/article-detail.xml 20238406 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/honda-uni-cub-001-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/honda-uni-cub-001-opt.jpg <![CDATA[SF Bay Area e-scooter sharing service starts beta tests]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/09/sf-bay-area-e-scooter-sharing-service-starts-beta-tests/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/09/sf-bay-area-e-scooter-sharing-service-starts-beta-tests/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/09/sf-bay-area-e-scooter-sharing-service-starts-beta-tests/#commentsFiled under: , ,



A San Francisco-based electric-scooter-sharing service has started beta testing, with plans to launch its service to the public next year, GigaOm reports.

ScootNetworks will let subscribers rent battery-electric scooters out by the minute our hour by "unlocking" them with their iPhone devices. The scooters, which are made in China, have a top speed of about 30 miles per hour.

The company hopes to officially launch the service to the public next years, with subscription rates likely to be in the $100- to $150-a-month range for unlimited scooter access, GigaOm says.

Companies like ScootNetworks are taking their lead from car-sharing services such as Zipcar and Daimler's Car2go service, whose sales are forecast to grow as more people become familiar with the concept of car-sharing and are looking to cut transportation costs.

In addition to ScootNetworks, San Francisco will be the site of an electric-bike-sharing program that will be run by San Francisco-based nonprofit City CarShare and backed by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. That program will include 45 e-bikes in San Francisco and Berkeley by the end of the year, with a total of 90 slated by the end of 2013, the New York Times reported in February.

SF Bay Area e-scooter sharing service starts beta tests originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 09 May 2012 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car sharingcarsharinge-scooterelectric vehiclesan franciscoscootscoot networksscooterscooter sharingscootnetworksWed, 09 May 2012 11:56:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20233696/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20233696/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/05/09/sf-bay-area-e-scooter-sharing-service-starts-beta-tests/20233696/article-detail.xml 20233696 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/scootnetworks_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/scootnetworks.jpg <![CDATA[Odd little Mia Electric signs up for French car-sharing duty]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/08/odd-little-mia-electric-signs-up-for-french-car-sharing-duty/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/08/odd-little-mia-electric-signs-up-for-french-car-sharing-duty/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/05/08/odd-little-mia-electric-signs-up-for-french-car-sharing-duty/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Go ahead and hop on.

The three-seat minibus known as the Mia Electric is going to be used in a car-sharing program in France's Poitou-Charentes region on the country's west coast.

According to Technologic Vehicles, Poitou-Charentes Auto-Partage, the new car-sharing service, chose to use the Mia Electric after the region's government acquired about 30 percent of the company. Now, the government is offering subsidies for people who buy the car, which costs about 20,000 euros ($26,000 U.S. at today's exchange rates) but is eligible for 4,000 euros in rebates. The car-sharing service will start offering the Mia EVs this summer

Mia launched the electric minibus last year, offering three versions ranging from single-charge ranges of about 55 miles to about 80 miles. The company at the time said it had pre-orders for about 3,000 vehicles and planned on ramping up production to as many as 14,000 vehicles a year by this year.

Odd little Mia Electric signs up for French car-sharing duty originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 08 May 2012 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car sharingelectric minibuselectric vehiclefrancemiamia electricminibusPoitou-CharentesTue, 08 May 2012 12:03:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20233400/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20233400/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/05/08/odd-little-mia-electric-signs-up-for-french-car-sharing-duty/20233400/article-detail.xml 20233400 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/mia_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/mia.jpg <![CDATA[World's largest Car2Go fleet deployed in Berlin]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/30/worlds-largest-car2go-fleet-deployed-in-berlin/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/30/worlds-largest-car2go-fleet-deployed-in-berlin/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/30/worlds-largest-car2go-fleet-deployed-in-berlin/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



In extreme sports, they say "go big, or go home." Car2go's doing both.

Daimler AG's car-sharing division, which has operations in places such as Amsterdam, Vienna and San Diego, last week launched service in Berlin in its native Germany with by far its largest fleet of Smart ForTwo two-seaters available for short-term rentals.

Car2go Berlin has 1,000 vehicles available for the approximately 65-square-mile area where customers can pick up and drop of the two-seaters. Car2go is charging a one-time registration fee of 9.9 euros (about $13 at current exchange rates) and will charge 12.9 ($17) euros an hour to drive. By the time the service started up in Berlin, 2,000 people had already pre-registered for the service.

The car-sharing service, which has about 70,000 members throughout Europe and North America, launched in 2009 in Austin, TX. Last month, Car2go started service in Washington, D.C., and Portland, OR and said it would debut in the UK in this fall.

Continue reading World's largest Car2Go fleet deployed in Berlin

World's largest Car2Go fleet deployed in Berlin originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>berlincar sharingcar2gocarsharingdaimlerfortwogermanysmartMon, 30 Apr 2012 17:54:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20227481/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20227481/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/04/30/worlds-largest-car2go-fleet-deployed-in-berlin/20227481/article-detail.xml 20227481 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/car2goberlin_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/car2goberlin.jpg <![CDATA[Some cars to be as clean as electric train travel by 2020]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/29/some-cars-to-be-as-clean-as-electric-train-travel-by-2020/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/29/some-cars-to-be-as-clean-as-electric-train-travel-by-2020/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/29/some-cars-to-be-as-clean-as-electric-train-travel-by-2020/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Chevy Volt

Ex-Ford engineer Richard Parry-Jones is now chairman-designate of the UK's Network Rail. Having looked into the futures of both car and train development, he believes that by the end of this decade the most Earth-friendly internal-combustion engine cars will be about as polluting, on a per-passenger basis, as high-speed electric trains.

Parry-Jones says carmakers are targeting 40g/km of CO2 tailpipe emissions by 2020. If the "average" occupancy of 1.6 people-per-vehicle stays the same in eight years, that would equal 25 gm per person per kilometer and put such cars in the same environmental category as the cleanest mass transit.

Since the emissions of electric cars and trains is usually given as zero, we're assuming he means diesel-electric high-speed trains; life-cycle emissions wouldn't be a valid comparison since those aren't factored into a car's tailpipe number. According to The Guardian's table of emission numbers by transport, right now you'd have to load four folks in a small diesel topped up with ultra-low sulphur fuel to get down to 42 grams per passenger per kilometer (gpkm), which would put you right with one of Virgin's Voyager class diesel-electric trains at 75-percent capacity. If you want to go all the way low, though, you'll need a 50cc two-stroke and a passenger: at that point you're rocking just 19.5 gpkm. Slowly.

Some cars to be as clean as electric train travel by 2020 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>co2electric trainsemissionsmass transitnetwork railrichard parry-jonestraintrainsukSun, 29 Apr 2012 09:02:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20226644/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20226644/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/04/29/some-cars-to-be-as-clean-as-electric-train-travel-by-2020/20226644/article-detail.xml 20226644 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/voltelectrictrain_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/voltelectrictrain.jpg <![CDATA[City CarShare's electric vehicle program grows, with glitches]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/12/city-carshares-electric-vehicle-program-grows-with-glitches/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/12/city-carshares-electric-vehicle-program-grows-with-glitches/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/12/city-carshares-electric-vehicle-program-grows-with-glitches/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Oops.

San Francisco's City CarShare service, which is adding plug-in vehicles to its fleet as a way to boost demand, must contend with the occasional glitch involving drivers unfamiliar with the technology. For example, one driver recently ran out of juice while driving a Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicle from San Francisco to Sacramento, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The problem? He didn't realize the car was electric.

As Mike Harrigan, the head of City CarShare's plug-in vehicle operations, told the Chronicle, "There's two kinds of members. There are the ones who are totally into EVs and understand what to do, and there are people who are totally oblivious, don't even realize it's an electric car and drive off to Sacramento."

City CarShare, a nonprofit that serves about 15,000 subscribers, currently has seven plug-ins sprinkled among its fleet of 380 vehicles and is looking to have half its fleet be powered by either hybrid, plug-in or biofuel powertrains by 2015. Currently, about a quarter are Toyota Prius hybrids. Each EV costs City CarShare about $30 a month to charge. Additionally, the organization is planning to have 30 electric-vehicle charging stations installed around the Bay Area by year-end.

Even with some "oblivious" drivers, San Francisco is a pretty ideal place for such a service because of the combination of an environmentally conscious population and the city's relatively small area - San Francisco proper is just 49 square miles. In fact, City CarShare, which received the first-ever fleet delivery of a Mitsubishi i EV in December, in February said it would start an electric-bike sharing program that will be sponsored by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and would include 45 e-bikes by the end of the year.

As for absent-minded customers still looking to go green, City CarShare does have a solution for that: the organization's fleet does include Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in vehicles and Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrids. Get in, go nuts.

City CarShare's electric vehicle program grows, with glitches originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2012 nissan leafcar sharingcarsharingcity carshareelectric vehicleleafnissannissan leafplug-in hybridsacramentosan franciscoThu, 12 Apr 2012 11:47:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20213379/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20213379/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/04/12/city-carshares-electric-vehicle-program-grows-with-glitches/20213379/article-detail.xml 20213379 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/citycarshare_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/citycarshare.jpg <![CDATA[Honda bringing plug-ins, hybrids to Zipcar fleet]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/11/honda-bringing-plug-ins-hybrids-to-zipcar-fleet/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/11/honda-bringing-plug-ins-hybrids-to-zipcar-fleet/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/11/honda-bringing-plug-ins-hybrids-to-zipcar-fleet/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

honda insight

Following in Ford's and Chevy's footsteps, Honda today announced a partnership with the car-sharing service Zipcar. The cars that will be added to the use-em-when-you-need-em fleet are going to be Honda's "latest advanced technology vehicles," which in this case means the Insight hybrid, the Fit EV (starting this fall), the Accord Plug-In Hybrid (in early 2013) and the new CR-V. Zipcar's technical name is that Honda is a "preferred vehicle manufacturer" and Honda sees the deal as a way for "urban dwelling tech-savvy drivers to get first-hand experience with the new technology."

Earlier this year, Zipcar announced that the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid would be available in Chicago and Ford has targeted college-age car-sharers with 1,000 vehicles available across the country. It's never been a better time to use a new, fuel-efficient car for just dollars a hour.

Continue reading Honda bringing plug-ins, hybrids to Zipcar fleet

Honda bringing plug-ins, hybrids to Zipcar fleet originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accord plug-in hybridcar-sharingcarsharingfit evhondahonda accordhonda fithonda zipcarzipcarzipcar hybridzipcar plug-inWed, 11 Apr 2012 14:14:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20213143/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20213143/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/04/11/honda-bringing-plug-ins-hybrids-to-zipcar-fleet/20213143/article-detail.xml 20213143 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/hondainsight_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/hondainsight.jpg <![CDATA[Zipcar launches Chevy Volt-sharing service in Chicago]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/zipcar-launches-chevy-volt-sharing-service-in-chicago/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/zipcar-launches-chevy-volt-sharing-service-in-chicago/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/zipcar-launches-chevy-volt-sharing-service-in-chicago/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Longtime Saturday Night Live fans will fondly recall a number of skits in which a group of Chicago sports fans referred to their hometown football team as "Da Bears." Now, they'll have "Da Volt."

U.S. car-sharing leader Zipcar will start making Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrids available to Windy City customers as part of a program with the city of Chicago that will involve the installment of "hundreds" of electric-vehicle chargers throughout the city.

Zipcar, which will charge $10 an hour for the cars, will initially add five Volts to its Chicago fleet and will add as many as 20 more by year end. 350Green is installing electric-vehicle charging stations where some of the Volts will be based.

Founded in 1999, Zipcar lets subscribers make an online reservation and swipe their membership card over a car-window sensor for access to their vehicles. The company, which went public last April with a $174.3 million IPO, said last November that it finally made a profit during the third quarter of 2011.

Smaller competitor Car2go, which is owned by Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, has also gone the plug-in route at some of its serviced cities by adding Smart ForTwo Electric Drive vehicles to the car-sharing fleet.

Continue reading Zipcar launches Chevy Volt-sharing service in Chicago

Zipcar launches Chevy Volt-sharing service in Chicago originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car sharingcarsharingchevroletchevrolet voltchicagoelectric vehiclevoltzipcarThu, 29 Mar 2012 11:50:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20203293/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20203293/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/03/29/zipcar-launches-chevy-volt-sharing-service-in-chicago/20203293/article-detail.xml 20203293 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/zipcarchicago_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/zipcarchicago.jpg <![CDATA[Translogic tackles how Parisians share transportation]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/21/translogic-tackles-how-parisians-share-transportation/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/21/translogic-tackles-how-parisians-share-transportation/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/21/translogic-tackles-how-parisians-share-transportation/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Translogic visits Paris

This week, our sister site Translogic heads off to Paris to check out the Vélib' bike-sharing and Autolib' electric-vehicle sharing programs.

Vélib' boasts 20,000 bikes and 1,800 stations throughout the city, where anyone with a credit card can check out a bike on the fly. More exciting is the EV-sharing program, which uses Pininfarina-built Bollore Blue Cars that are available to subscribers for rental at rates ranging between €9 (around $12 USD) and €16 per hour (@ $21). The program was launched in December 2011, with 250 cars and 250 stations, and though it has faced some problems, the number of cars is expected to increase to 3,000 by next year.

Click past the jump to watch the full episode.

Continue reading Translogic tackles how Parisians share transportation

Translogic tackles how Parisians share transportation originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>autolibbicycle sharingbike sharingcar rentalcar sharecar sharingcarsharingelectric vehicleev sharingfranceparistranslogicvelibvideoWed, 21 Mar 2012 08:02:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20197441/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20197441/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/03/21/translogic-tackles-how-parisians-share-transportation/20197441/article-detail.xml 20197441 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/xl-paris-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/xl-paris-opt.jpg <![CDATA[Daimler's car2go car-sharing service will launch in UK this fall]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/18/daimlers-car2go-car-sharing-service-will-launch-in-uk-this-fall/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/18/daimlers-car2go-car-sharing-service-will-launch-in-uk-this-fall/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/18/daimlers-car2go-car-sharing-service-will-launch-in-uk-this-fall/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Daimler's about to find out of its car-sharing service translates to left-hand drive.

The automaker's Car2go will debut in the UK this fall when it starts service in Birmingham, England. Birmingham's city council approved a plan for car2go to supply as many as 250 Smart Fortwo gas-powered two-seaters, which residents can rent within a 30-square-mile radius around the city.

The service is part of Birmingham's effort to improve air quality and cut traffic. No rental rates have been disclosed.

Car2go, which has about 70,000 members throughout North America and Europe, is debuting in Washington, D.C., and Portland, OR later this month. The service, which launched in 2009 in Austin, Texas, also operates in cities such as Chicago, San Diego, Amsterdam, Vienna and Ulm, Germany.

Continue reading Daimler's car2go car-sharing service will launch in UK this fall

Daimler's car2go car-sharing service will launch in UK this fall originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>birminghamcar-sharingcar2gocarsharingdaimlerelectric vehicleenglandfortwo car sharingu.k.ukSun, 18 Mar 2012 08:28:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20195319/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20195319/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/03/18/daimlers-car2go-car-sharing-service-will-launch-in-uk-this-fall/20195319/article-detail.xml 20195319 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/birmingham_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/birmingham.jpg <![CDATA[Car2go scoops up 6,000 electric car sharers in San Diego in first 100 days]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/11/car2go-scoops-up-6-000-electric-car-sharers-in-san-diego-in-firs/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/11/car2go-scoops-up-6-000-electric-car-sharers-in-san-diego-in-firs/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/03/11/car2go-scoops-up-6-000-electric-car-sharers-in-san-diego-in-firs/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



For some people, buying an electric car is a long-time dream. For others, the excitement comes simply from driving one and not having to worry about the hassles of vehicle ownership. Turns out, there are at least 6,000 such people in San Diego, CA, where Daimler's easy-access car-sharing program, Car2go, reported that many users in the program's first 100 days. Car2go is also happy to note that the 300 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive models that are in use there now means that, "for the first time in the history of North America, an entire city has access to emissions-free automobility."

Car2go started operationg in San Diego in November of 2011 and more than 25,000 all-electric trips have been taken thus far. At the beginning, around 500 rentals were happening each week. Now, it's up to 3,500. If you're interesting in joining, registration is free through March 11th (i.e., today). Find details about this after the jump. We got an in-depth look at San Diego's program when it was still in the planning stages last summer. You can read all about that here.

Continue reading Car2go scoops up 6,000 electric car sharers in San Diego in first 100 days

Car2go scoops up 6,000 electric car sharers in San Diego in first 100 days originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daimler AG's Car2go car-sharing service, which has North American operations in San Diego, Vancouver and Austin, TX, will start the open-ended car-sharing program in Washington, D.C., and Portland, OR, later this month.

Car2go, which has overseas operations in cities such as Amsterdam and Vienna and has more than 70,000 subscribers worldwide, will open in D.C. on March 24 and in Portland a week later. Each city will receive more than 200 of Daimler's Smart ForTwo two-seat vehicles.

Daimler launched Car2go in Austin, where a two-year pilot program ended late last year. Daimler and Austin's city government reached a December agreement to continue offering cars and to introduce all-electric vehicles to Austin, as Car2go does in San Diego. More than 20,000 people signed up for the company's service in Austin during the trial period. For a deep dive into Car2go, read this and this.

Car2go competes against Zipcar in a car-sharing market that's forecast to surge over the next few years as gas prices rise and cities get more dense. Two years ago, Zipcar, citing a Frost & Sullivan report, said North American car-sharing revenue would rise more than tenfold between 2009 and 2016 to about $3.3 billion. Zipcar went public last year.

Continue reading Daimler's car2go car-sharing service starts in D.C., Portland this month

Daimler's car2go car-sharing service starts in D.C., Portland this month originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 04 Mar 2012 08:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Getaround, the Silicon Valley peer-to-peer car-sharing service that launched last year, officially debuted the service in Portland, OR, this week and said the U.S. government will conduct a car-sharing study that will pay people as much as $300 to rent out their cars.

The company, unlike car-sharing service leader Zipcar, doesn't own the cars and instead connects car owners with potential renters. Getaround collects about 30 percent of rental fees, which are set by the car owners but usually range from $4 to $10 an hour. Getaround's website shows San Francisco Bay Area customers that are part of the company's Beta testing renting Mini Coopers for about $7 an hour, though one Tesla Roadster owner is asking for $75 an hour. Getaround provides insurance for the vehicles and ensures that renters don't need to meet the customers by installing a remote-operated unlocking system for the vehicles.

Late last year, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded the company and the city of Portland $1.75 million to help launch the service. Some analysts have forecasted a surge in car-sharing as gas prices rise and cities become more congested. Zipcar, which went public last year, in 2010 citied a Frost & Sullivan report estimating that North America car-sharing revenue would jump more than tenfold to $3.3 billion in 2016 from $253 million in 2009. Such growth prospects lured traditional rental car companies like Enterprise and Hertz into the industry.

Continue reading Getaround officially starts peer-to-peer car-sharing service in Portland

Getaround officially starts peer-to-peer car-sharing service in Portland originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zipcar, the largest U.S. car-sharing service, last week launched a program in Boston in which city employees can share city-owned vehicles in an effort to save money and cut emissions.

Zipcar, which is based in nearby Cambridge, MA, will install its software in the city-owned vehicles as part as what's called the FleetHub program, the company said. Zipcar has already worked with Washington, DC and Chicago on similar programs and said Washington, DC saves about $1 million a year using the program.

The company is aiming to boost sales by appealing to city-dwellers, college students and municipalities looking to save money by car-sharing instead of purchasing individual vehicles. Zipcar, which was founded in 1999, lets subscribers make an online reservation, swipe their membership card over a car-window sensor for access and drive a car for a predetermined rate (usually about $10) per hour.

The company, which has more than 650,000 subscribers using 9,000 vehicles throughout the U.S., Canada and the UK, said last November that it made a quarterly profit on third-quarter 2011 sales of $68.1 million. The company went public last April with a $174.3 million IPO.

Continue reading Zipcar launches city-government car-sharing program in Boston

Zipcar launches city-government car-sharing program in Boston originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bostoncambridgecar sharingcar-sharingcarsharingcity governmentzipcarTue, 14 Feb 2012 07:56:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20169728/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20169728/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/02/14/zipcar-launches-city-government-car-sharing-program-in-boston/20169728/article-detail.xml 20169728 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/zipcar_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/zipcar.jpg <![CDATA[San Francisco Bay Area will get e-bike sharing program]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/02/13/san-francisco-bay-area-will-get-e-bike-sharing-program/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/02/13/san-francisco-bay-area-will-get-e-bike-sharing-program/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/02/13/san-francisco-bay-area-will-get-e-bike-sharing-program/#commentsFiled under: , ,



For anyone looking to find out if an electric-powered bike can make it up Telegraph Hill's Filbert Street in San Francisco, you'll soon get your chance.

The San Francisco Bay Area will be the site of an electric-bike sharing program designed to replace car trips in and around San Francisco and other local cities such as Berkeley, the New York Times reported.

The program, which will be sponsored by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and will be administered through the San Francisco-based nonprofit City CarShare, will include 45 e-bikes distributed throughout San Francisco and Berkeley by the end of the year and another 45 by the end of 2013, the newspaper reported. City CarShare will get $760,000 in grant money to run the program.

As part of the program, U.C. Berkeley's Transportation Sustainability Research Center will keep tabs on how often the e-bikes are used and how many car trips they're eliminating.

City CarShare, which charges members $10 a month for the right to rent cars for as little as $5 an hour, will charge about half that hourly rate for the bikes, the Times said. Additionally, whereas the car-sharing program allows renters to drop off the car at a different location from where they picked it up, e-bike renters won't have that option. So, if you start your ride going up a hill, as least you'll be going downhill upon your return.

San Francisco Bay Area will get e-bike sharing program originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bay areaberkeleybicyclecity carsharee-bikeelectric bikeelectricbicyclesan franciscosan francisco bay areau.c. berkeleyMon, 13 Feb 2012 14:05:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20169445/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20169445/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/02/13/san-francisco-bay-area-will-get-e-bike-sharing-program/20169445/article-detail.xml 20169445 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/san-francisco-nightline_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/san-francisco-nightline.jpg <![CDATA[Daimler buys 15% stake in MyTaxi cab-hailing application publisher]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/30/daimler-buys-15-stake-in-mytaxi-cab-hailing-application-publish/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/30/daimler-buys-15-stake-in-mytaxi-cab-hailing-application-publish/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/30/daimler-buys-15-stake-in-mytaxi-cab-hailing-application-publish/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG has acquired a 15-percent stake in smartphone application publisher MyTaxi, marking the German automaker's continued willingness to invest in transportation-related businesses that don't actually focus on selling vehicles to customers.

Bloomberg News reported that Daimler's Car2go division, along with Xing AG founder Lars Hinrichs and Deutsche Telekom AG invested about $13 million combined into the company, which makes an application that lets smartphone owners order a taxi with their iPhones or Android devices, the wire service reported, citing an interview with MyTaxi founder and CEO Sven Kuelper. The application, which has been downloaded about 800,000 times, is available for use in about 30 European cities.

With the investment, Daimler continues to take a broader view of personal vehicle demand by acquiring stakes in non-vehicle manufacturing companies. Daimler in 2008 started Car2go, which differs from other car-sharing programs because it does not require the vehicle to be returned to a defined space - i.e., where it was picked up. Instead, as long as the car ends up inside the operating area, drivers are free to leave it in any legal parking space when they are finished with it.

Car2Go operates in Amsterdam; Austin, Texas; Hamburg; Ulm, Germany; and Vancouver. Late last year, car2go added Vienna and San Diego. Washington, D.C. is coming soon.

Daimler buys 15% stake in MyTaxi cab-hailing application publisher originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Androidapplicationcar2godaimleriPhonemercedesmobile applicationmytaxitechnologyMon, 30 Jan 2012 14:05:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20158959/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20158959/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/01/30/daimler-buys-15-stake-in-mytaxi-cab-hailing-application-publish/20158959/article-detail.xml 20158959 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/01/my-taxi-app_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/01/my-taxi-app.jpg <![CDATA[Parisian Autolib car sharing service suffers setbacks, sells 6,000 subscriptions]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/13/parisian-autolib-car-sharing-service-suffers-setbacks-sells-6-0/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/13/parisian-autolib-car-sharing-service-suffers-setbacks-sells-6-0/http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/13/parisian-autolib-car-sharing-service-suffers-setbacks-sells-6-0/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Three Bollore Bluecars belonging to the Parisian car-sharing service Autolib wait curbside

Autolib, the Parisian electric car sharing service, is not having the kind of start it had hoped for. Though the program officially kicked off in October, the rubber really hit the road in December and, since that time, 30 to 40 of the 250 Bolloré-built Bluecars in the fleet have had to be taken out of service. The problem stems from a combination of vandalism - something the city's bicycle-sharing program also experiences a lot of - and ordinary breakdowns of one sort or another.

The situation means that grabbing a car from one of the 300 stations is not a sure bet. The graphic to the right is a snapshot of availability taken recently, with the number of available electrics shown in the blue flag. As you can see, there are an awful lot of zeros.

The news is not all bad though. The service has had 6,000 people sign up, which is about double what organizers expected. Now, if they can get some more cars out there and keep them running, they might just experience some of the success car-sharing programs like Car2go and Zipcar are enjoying Stateside.

Hit the jump for a (French-language) news report of the problem as well as a bonus video (also in French) featuring an Autolib car getting a thorough review.

Continue reading Parisian Autolib car sharing service suffers setbacks, sells 6,000 subscriptions

Parisian Autolib car sharing service suffers setbacks, sells 6,000 subscriptions originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>autolibbluecarbollore bluecarcar sharingcar sharing franceelectric car sharingfrancevandalismFri, 13 Jan 2012 09:52:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20139600/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20139600/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2012/01/13/parisian-autolib-car-sharing-service-suffers-setbacks-sells-6-0/20139600/article-detail.xml 20139600 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/01/autolib-bluecars-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/01/autolib-bluecars-628.jpg <![CDATA[Apparently people want to pay higher tolls than more gas taxes]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2011/12/29/apparently-people-want-to-pay-higher-tolls-than-more-gas-taxes/http://green.autoblog.com/2011/12/29/apparently-people-want-to-pay-higher-tolls-than-more-gas-taxes/http://green.autoblog.com/2011/12/29/apparently-people-want-to-pay-higher-tolls-than-more-gas-taxes/#commentsFiled under: , ,



The Reason organization identifies itself as libertarian, but the group's latest Reason-Rupe poll of 1,200 Americans found more Democrats out there (45 percent) than Republicans (35) or "Pure Independents" (16). Whatever the political leanings of the participants and the methodology used, the interesting result for cleaner transportation advocates is how the people said they'd like to fund infrastructure improvements. In short, Reason found that people would rather pay tolls than more taxes.

A full 77 percent said they oppose raising the gas tax and 58 percent said we should pay for new lanes or highways with tolls instead of higher taxes (which 28 percent said they favor). Fifty-nine percent said they would use a new toll lane or toll road if it saved them "a significant amount of time." These questions followed queries about what people think about their commutes and traffic congestion - something 54 percent think traffic is going to get worse in the coming years. So, Reason's poll seems to say, people think more vehicle hassles are coming, and they'd like to pay extra money to avoid them.

Of course, one can quibble with how the gas tax question was worded. It includes no mention, for example, that the tax hasn't been raised since 1993. It (question 11 in this PDF of the entire poll) asked:

The federal gas tax is currently 18.4 cents a gallon, and nearly all the revenue is used to pay for highways and transit. Some say our roads and transit systems are crumbling and need more funding. Others say the government wastes a lot of the gas tax money it already receives. Do you favor or oppose raising the federal gas tax?

Which some could say is leading the witness. But still, these are good numbers for thought. Do you agree?

Apparently people want to pay higher tolls than more gas taxes originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gas taxgas taxestoll lanestoll roadsThu, 29 Dec 2011 07:57:00 EST http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20136902/article-comments.xml http://green.autoblog.com/feed/20136902/article-comments.html http://green.autoblog.com/feed/2011/12/29/apparently-people-want-to-pay-higher-tolls-than-more-gas-taxes/20136902/article-detail.xml 20136902 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2011/12/toll-plaza_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2011/12/toll-plaza.jpg <![CDATA[More reasons to choose car-sharing: serious health benefits]]>http://green.autoblog.com/2011/12/26/more-reasons-to-choose-car-sharing-serious-health-benefits/http://green.autoblog.com/2011/12/26/more-reasons-to-choose-car-sharing-serious-health-benefits/http://green.autoblog.com/2011/12/26/more-reasons-to-choose-car-sharing-serious-health-benefits/#commentsFiled under: ,



The next time you go visit your doctor for a check-up, go ahead and take a car-sharing vehicle. Why? Because that way you can say that you're actively engaging in a mode of transportation that helps your health.

According to a recent report by researchers at the University College London (UCL), making "rational, economic decisions about the most appropriate mode of travel for each individual journey (on foot, by car, bicycle, bus, train etc)" is a key factor in improving your health. When you are part of a car-share, you can still access a private vehicle when you need one but you are also more conscious about how you get around, and this choice often leads to increasing your physical activity level. This, in turn, can make you healthier. The UK's Department for Transport commissioned the report, which found that, "the only way to increase walking and cycling significantly is through reducing car use" and that "the recent growth of car clubs, neighbourhood car rental schemes, car sharing and pay-as-you-go insurance helps to make this possible." You can get the full report in PDF.

More reasons to choose car-sharing: serious health benefits originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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