I was happy to get the story below from my “car guy”; mostly because it means there are people who actually build cars who are thinking about better products… I also really like the idea of the “sharing” garage. It would be great to have a bigger vehicle only when you really need one. As a person who has always driven a small car I appreciate the possibilities of some new options.
I think we should get a few of these too: The Luas http://www.luas.ie/index.php ; I admit my prejudice; I love trains and would be thrilled to see more light rails like this in American cities that do not have adequate public transportation. I will mention one draw-back; these things are “SILENT” this is not a track you would want to run across…Yikes! The word, “SPLAT” comes to mind…
This is also were I throw my two-cents in for expanding our trolley from Gallagher Terminal to LeLacheur Park. Would people who live downtown or halfway up Broadway or Fletcher walk to Dutton to catch the Trolley to Gallagher? I really think they would.
Here’s a piece from SUN on-line…excellent step in the right direction.
N.H.-to-Boston bus run starts Monday
LONDONDERRY, N.H. (AP) — The inaugural run of an express bus service from New Hampshire to Boston is being launched Monday.
Commuters can catch the Boston Express at Exits 2, 4 and 5 off Interstate 93. Boston Express is a public-private partnership between the state and two bus companies — C&J Lines and Concord Coach Lines.
The express service from Manchester, Londonderry and Salem will be to Boston’s South Station and Logan Airport.
Nissan to sell electric car, batteries not included
James B. Treece Automotive News November 14, 2008 – 12:01 am ET
DETROIT — Carlos Tavares, Nissan Motor Co.’s executive vice president for product planning and design, held out a vision of a future where consumers buy electric vehicles separately from the batteries, and share access to cars.
“At Nissan, we believe that one day, zero emissions will be a precondition of entry in the automotive business,” he told the Automotive News Green Car Conference and Exhibition today. A dramatic shift in vehicle ownership patterns will accompany that move away from internal combustion engines, he said. “Our grandchildren may never believe we owned cars, not to mention that they had tailpipes,” Tavares said.
Nissan plans to launch its first all-electric vehicle in select markets in 2010. It will roll out globally in 2012. Nissan expects its electric vehicle to have “pricing similar to a conventional car,” before adding in the cost of the battery. The battery lease will be separate — similar to fees charged today for in-vehicle concierge services such as OnStar. There will be “no additional inconvenience for the consumer,” he said. “Buy the car, sign the battery lease.” The buyer then will drive off from the dealership in a car with batteries installed. The total cost of ownership over the vehicle’s life cycle, he said, will be lower than that of owning a car that requires gasoline.
He also said that consumers may eventually get away from owning their own vehicles, choosing instead to pay for access to a garage of vehicles shared with other consumers. “The sense of proprietary ownership is very strong today, but could shift to the pleasure of owning access” to a variety of vehicles in a shared garage, he said. For example, a driver might have a commuter car for weekdays, and access to a minivan for family vacations and to a sports car for occasional fun.
“It’s not very far,” he said, from owning a timeshare in a vacation home.
SOURCE: AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
