Vehicle
Car Sharing Startup Getaround Gets $1.7 Million Grant
Getaround / Press Release / 13 December 2011
The City of Portland today announced that peer-to-peer car sharing company and 2011 TechCrunch Disrupt NYC winner, Getaround, was selected by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to participate in a joint initiative with the city to use $1,725,000 in federal funding to launch peer-to-peer car sharing in the greater Portland metropolitan area by February of 2012, following an initial launch at Portland State University. In anticipation of the launch, starting today, Portland commuters and car owners can begin signing up for Getaround at http://www.getaround.com.
The FHWA grant in Portland is the first federal grant ever awarded for peer-to-peer car sharing. The selection of Getaround by the FHWA as the car sharing provider for the state’s pilot program was based on Getaround’s novel technology, insurance program and successful track record in enabling car owners to safely and easily share their cars in other metropolitan areas, including the San Francisco Bay Area.
Bike Action Plan & Energy Resilience
Santa Monica Patch / Gary Kavanagh / 25 November 2011
Despite massive investments and new technology, the oil extraction rate across the world has flattened out since 2005 (the US peak was in the 70’s), and gains in the past few years are increasingly coming from expensive and environmentally devastating tar sands extraction and deep sea drilling. Compounding this problem, the number of cars on the road in China and India competing for fuel imports is exploding.
Some analysis like that in the Department of Energy published report Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, and Risk Management from 2005, warn of the potential for catastrophic “oil crunches” before even 2015. The oil price spike we already had in 2008 was a factor contributing to our biggest economic crash in half a century. We do not have 40 years to linger in charting a new path toward.
Of Hurricanes, Hubris and Hot Water
Peak Oil Blues / Kathy McMahon / 28 August 2011
When we think about disaster, we often imagine taking immediate action to minimize the damage: running out and pulling in the lawn chairs and flower pots so they don't become hurricane projectiles. But more often, preparing for all the impending risks requires more careful long-term thinking.
This post is both my own experiences of living through Hurricane Irene on Sunday, 8/29/11, and a few thoughts about what is truly dangerous and what kills people in this type of storm. Most of the "news" clippings below are deaths from Hurricane Irene. These dramatic photos are all Hurricane Irene today, in Western MA (and one from Southern VT). I hope they give you cause for sober reflection when news reports say "It was all overblown!"
Energy-harvesting shock absorber increases fuel efficiency
PhysOrg.com / Lisa Zyga / 14 July 2011
An energy-harvesting shock absorber that can be installed in a vehicle's suspension system to absorb the energy from bumps in the road, convert the energy into electricity, and improve fuel efficiency by 1-8% has recently won the R&D 100 award. Nicknamed the "Oscar of Invention," the annual award is given out by R&D Magazine to recognize the top 100 innovative technologies introduced during the previous year. Previous winners have included the ATM (1973), liquid crystal display (1980), Nicoderm anti-smoking patch (1992), lab on a chip (1996), and HDTV (1998).
The Bicycle Dividend
New York Times / Nancy Folbre / 04 July 2011
Here is the economic logic behind increased efforts to promote bicycle use:
Cars enjoy huge direct subsidies in the form of road construction and public parking spaces, as well as indirect subsidies to the oil industry that provides their fuel. These subsidies far exceed the tax revenue generated by car use (as this excellent discussion of the technical issues at stake in these calculations makes clear.)
Yet cars impose major social costs: their use contributes to global warming, traffic congestion, accident fatalities and sedentary lifestyles.
Bicycle use is good for both people and the planet. In a country afflicted by obesity and inactivity, people who get moving become healthier. Riding a bike to work or to do errands is far cheaper than joining a gym. Cutting back on gas consumption improves air quality, reduces dependence on imported oil and saves money.
Increased bicycle use is practical and feasible, especially if it can be combined with effective public transportation for long-distance needs.
[ Hat tip to Alan M.! ]
Green GPS calculates most fuel-efficient route
CSL, University of Illinois / Kim Gudeman / 03 May 2011
A new software interface reduces energy consumption in transportation systems.
Green GPS, developed by computer scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, works like general GPS navigation, except that in addition to calculating the shortest and fastest routes, it also projects the most fuel-efficient route.
CarShare Startup Issues
Portland Transportation Research Board / January 2004
This paper discusses some of the decisions to be made when starting a new carsharing service. These include selection of business type; pricing issues; identification of target membership markets; vehicle selection, financing & insurance; reservation/scheduling systems & in-vehicle telematics (on-board computer); parking, staffing, marketing, partnerships. A simplified spreadsheet model to compare various pricing and expense scenarios is presented. Finally, a brief discussion is presented of the possibilities of franchising and outsourcing certain functions; as well as several innovative service models, including exclusive use vehicles, van shuttles, open-ended, and one-way reservations.
