Solar Car-Charging Comes to New York - Wheels Blog - NYTimes.com

This is what happens when technology provides you with a button that posts links to your blog. I don't think I have even read this article yet but I just had to press that button and see if it would work. I remember there were a lot of pretty green pictures there. And it is The New York Times. And charging your car with sunlight, if any, seems like a good thing. New York is already, surprisingly, one of the greenest cities in the US. Mostly because it's small, crowded, and very difficult to drive a private car in. Let's keep the pressure on for solar charged-passenger sharing-dynamically routed taxis.

Solar Car-Charging Comes to New York - Wheels Blog - NYTimes.com

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Facing the end

The end of the automobile comes in many guises. Some people choose to live in a post automotive world for moral or social reasons. Some, like Boulder's Ryan Van Duzer have never even driven a car. He is about to set off across the US on a 3 speed cruiser bike. Many others are trying to wind down their car habit by biking and walking more. For most of us, a car is a necessity for daily life. Until communities are designed to be navigated by something other than cars we're going to need some motorized transport.

Sometimes the end comes with a whimper. The $7 Accord went that way two weeks ago. I had an opportunity to buy a small Subaru wagon and I couldn't in good conscience pass it on to anyone else. 20 years, even in Colorado's rust free climate, is a long time for a car. Honda is one of the better manufacturers when it comes to supplying parts for older cars but even they get disinterested after a quarter century. Eventually the list of little things that must be fixed adds up to a good down payment on something newer.

In my sister's case the end came with a bang. She pulled up behind a municipal dump truck that went into reverse and crushed her 2000 CRV.
This sort of unplanned and unavoidable end is the hardest on people. If you need a car for work as she does you have to get going on a replacement process immediately and without the luxury of much research. You are tempted more than usual by emotional rather than informed decisions that can be costly in the long run. Pam knows she can afford a payment of about $250 a month and is hoping that her insurance will give her $5000 or more for her 9 year old 200,000 mile car. Using the payment calculator at Edmunds.com that gives her a budget of about $17,000 including sales tax. A tricky price range given her need carry a lot of gear for her job and her preference for 4 wheel drive. Since her payment is based on her average reimbursement for mileage fuel economy is a big issue too.

The list of new cars that fit the criteria and the budget is pretty short. Used cars are a good value but always involve a more complicated search. You have to find one that looks good and then have it inspected to see if it really is good or you have to assume some risk. After a long discussion we came up with these candidates. Starting with the new car choices:
Suzuki SX4
A Japanese made car that is often overlooked. Probably the value 4 wheel drive alternative in the market. It has a well deserved reputation for durability and gets reasonable gas mileage in the mid twenties for most people. The dealer network is a little thin but available incentives make it a terrific value. It comes in under budget. I think it's worth a look.

Saturn Astra (aka Vauxhall Astra by Opel)
Pretty much the same MO as the Suzuki but without 4 wheel drive. It's European genes should make it the most comfortable car in the mix. The uncertain future of Saturn make it more of a risk. Still, Opel cars are enjoying a good run in Europe right now and odds are that someone will be sure to continue to market them in the States. This wouldn't be my pick for a 20 year car but given that my sister will drive it 20,000+ miles per year and lives in Northwest Ohio it won't have to be.
Honda Fit
Doesn't have 4wd but heck it's a Honda. It does come in at the budget limit though with the most Spartan interior. I'll be interested to see how these fare in the test drive phase.

Toyota Matrix with available 4wd and Scion XB before their recent redesigns would have made the new car list but I'm just not feeling the love for the new changes. The Matrix would also be pushing the budget envelope with 4wd and a comfortable trim level. Pam would be counting on a lot of help from her insurance company to keep payments at a comfortable level. As used cars the old models represent a good value. For those who drive less miles and want the car that is most likely to be supported for 20 years these might be the choices.

One thing that has to be kept in mind is that most post 2000 cars have little maintenance beyond oil changes and filters for 100,000 miles. A good thing if you are making car payments. The other side is that they usually have an expensive service list due at that mileage as well as a list of consumable parts like brakes and exhaust parts. If you buy a car with 75,000 miles or more you are going to be starting on these lists pretty soon along with the car payment. You will want to figure that into the budget.

So the used choices that will be under budget and good for the long haul:
Pontiac Vibe/ Toyota Matrix
Built on the same assembly line in the US they differ only in the body panels. 4wd is available but relatively rare which could lengthen the search time. Pontiac is also due for the chop at GM though that shouldn't cause too many problems. Lots of ex lease and rental cars out there but many are in a pretty pedestrian state of trim.
Scion xB
Another Toyota and the best example of a box big enough to fit just about anything. No 4wd is available and you'll have to do without cruise control though you may get a jack for your iPod that the Suzuki lacks. Like the Matrix/Vibe and Fit you will get the best gas mileage in the group at 30+mpg. Not a small consideration if you get paid by the mile. Of course if you drive a lot of miles every day you may not mind paying more to get a seat that is comfortable at the end of the day.

Test drive day is today. I'm waiting by the phone. Details will follow.

Crazy Quilt Future

Sitting in the United States in 2008 its compelling to imagine an automotive future much like the automotive present only with a different fuel. ( Well actually there are those who think the present fuel is just fine if we could only pump more of it but we will leave them at the curb for the moment.)The future is a world full of personal cars powered by hydrogen or switchgrass ethanol or hemp seed diesel or windmill electricity available at the home outlet. All of these are worthy successors to fossil fuel but no single one is likely to take the mantle of king of fuels. In fact I think in the long run a major overhaul in our concept of transportation and the design of our living spaces is going to sneak up and render the personal car rather quaint.

In the short run we face a sort of patchwork quilt of solutions that move us toward a sustainable future. After all, if the perfect car went on sale tomorrow; you know the one with a negative carbon footprint that was powered by the sun; just changing over the automotive fleet would take years. What is more likely to happen is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. A true plug-in hybrid that was affordable would be a huge step but right now its a bit of an oxymoron. Also with the current electrical generation realities it would really be running on coal. Hydrogen currently implies much the same scenario. Thanks to big agriculture biofuels seem likely to displace food crops and require lots of oil driven fertilizers and intensive motorized farming. That's not a winning formula.

The stark facts indicate the car as we know it is likely to be the transport of choice for some time to come. Current engine technology is extremely clean. Fuel economy can be improved dramatically by downsizing, down powering, saving weight and using diesel. Simple known technology. The problem for the most part is we are addicted to driving alone and the current design of most habitable regions requires the use of an automobile to perform the functions necessary to sustain life. I'm talking about going to the grocery store, any store actually, the bank, the doctor, the daycare center. Did I mention going to work? Unless you live in New York City you probably aren't going to abandon your car for taxis and public transportation. It's just too inconvenient and time consuming.

If I could implement one technology to reduce car use or eliminate it all together in most urban areas it would be something like this. You call a number. You tell them where you are and where you want to go. If you don't like cell phones you do this on your computer or at a dedicated kiosk. Within five minutes a nice diesel powered van arrives. One that has plenty of space for your groceries. It takes you where you need to go picking up other passengers using dynamic routing that allows it to pick up nearby travelers going to local destinations along the way. No long waits. No long walks to the bus stop. Just a charge of perhaps a dollar a mile and an opportunity to meet the community or listen to your iPod. As you wish.

All of this is easily possible using existing technologies. It's just that we are inside the public transportation prison of the past. This is a simple, affordable, economically feasible and desirable solution. Of course taxi franchises and public transport will resist mightily. It just requires thinking outside of the current parameters. For those interested in an elaboration of this idea that describes a current pilot system in operation visit www.taxibus.org.uk and start talking it up.

Letting Go - Your next car may not be yours

Recently I sat down with my 18 year old son and did some back of the napkin figuring about the actual cost of owning a car. Since he is an American Male under the age of 25 he can expect to pay at least $1200 a year for liability insurance alone. Figure it at $3 a day. Even though he is a good friend of the mechanic (me) it's hard to get by on less than $1000 per year for either car payments or maintenance costs. This figure is low, trust me, and basically involves buying a cheap car and driving it till it drops. Figure another $3 a day for these costs.

So before you put any gas in at $4 per gallon you are going to be out $42 per week in expenses. Drive only 100 miles per week at 20mpg and you have pretty much consumed a day's wages at my son's usual pay grade. Granted my insurance costs are lower but if I want a safer more modern car my costs will be the same or more. I figure a bare bones cost of 60 cents per mile. If I drive an SUV or carry comprehensive insurance on a newer car it will easily be $1 a mile or more to drive only 5000 miles a year!

My feeling is that people usually take these large fixed costs for insurance and maintenance for granted. The convenience of having a car available on demand is worth a lot to them. But what if you really could live without a car most of the time? If you make a couple of shopping trips a week for things too big to fit on your bike or the bus, what would you be willing to pay for a car on demand?

Last fall I was in Seattle where one of the many public transportation programs available was FlexCar now ZipCar. In strategic locations throughout the city were dedicated parking spots for on demand rental cars and trucks of all sorts. After subscribing to the service you could open the vehicle of your choice with a smart card passed over a reader inside the car. The car would open and give you access to the key. From there you could drive the car anywhere you wanted for $10 an hour. The price includes gasoline and insurance. As a university town Boulder is ideal for such a service. I have linked to ZipCar near Ohio State University for the curious.

The beauty of the system is that you have a choice of many vehicles. Need a minivan for visiting relatives arriving at the airport or a pickup for a building project? You can get one when you need it and drive a Civic Hybrid for other tasks.Think of several strategic locations around town. Perhaps a dozen cars in each Park and Ride location and city parking garage sitting in always available parking places.For the same cost as the cheapest car you could have this fleet available to you 6 hours a week! Boulder CarShare operates a service right now at a similar cost.

I find thinking of a "transportation budget" a rather liberating concept. To truly wean driver's from the personal car we have to move toward some sort of always available on demand alternative. ZipCar still has some drawbacks. You have to get from where you are to where the car is and return the car to the starting point when you are done. The cost of your time to deal with these barriers is going to be the real cost of owning a private car. A door to door service available on demand would be better for many people. Think of it as a taxi that you can get on five minutes notice that programs itself on the fly so you are always sharing the fare with others. A cell phone with text messaging and GPS capability should be enough to make this dream a reality. More on this later.