Hourcar.org is an innovative way to have access to a car from a Minneapolis nonprofit affiliated with the Neighborhood Energy Connection that redefines consumer cost, pollution and congestion in an urban setting by creating a pool of member owned cars.The NEC brought car-sharing to the Twin Cities to support its overall mission of promoting environmentally responsible communities.
Here’s how it works. Hourcar.org buys, insures and maintains a fleet of member-shared cars, takes on all the responsibilities of owning the vehicles, including paying for fuel. The cars are parked in hubs near members’ homes and workplaces. Members make reservations online or by phone, and pay monthly dues and car usage fees. You pay only for what you use! The company maintains a fleet of Toyota Priuses.
What you get:
--A new, low-emission hybrid.
--Less congestion in a city by reducing individual vehicles.
--Easy trade-off for public transportation
--Scalable budget if a consumer has a tight month. (Use more public transportation)
--Don’t worry about storage and parking
Another car-share network available in Washington D.C. and six other North American cities is Zipcar.com.
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Saw a Prius Zipcar the other day. Nice idea for people who don't want the expense and hassle of owning a car.
Slightly off topic, but I just read that Toyota engineers are looking to significantly improve the efficiency of the Prius by 2008 to an impressive 90-100 mpg. The idea of plugging in a lithium-ion battery is apparently being tossed around. Cool!
Nothing is off topic in this blog... all comments are welcome!!..lol
I am guessing that plug-in hybrids will become more of a norm as better battery technology comes online.
Up until now, Toyota has worried about shortening the life of the current generation of batteries by deep cycling in a plug-in set-up.
It would be great to see someone develop accessories for these set-ups, like solar topping off stations for the workplace, so that people could exercise their independence from oil.