Ironically, we recently reported on Portugal’s intent to invest in a huge amount of electronic fueling stations over the next few years, stating that they were well ahead of America.  I say that this is ironic because of the following which comes out of mercurynews.com:

A Palo Alto start-up with powerful backing on Thursday unveiled an ambitious $1 billion plan to help make the Bay Area the nation’s electric-car capital.

Endorsed by all three of the Bay Area’s big city mayors, the plan would provide the re-charging infrastructure that must be in place before most consumers would consider buying or leasing an electric car.

Better Place, headed by former high-tech executive Shai Agassi, plans to install about 250,000 charging ports, 200 battery-exchange stations and a control center to service Bay Area electric car drivers. The goal is to have most of the system in place by 2012.

America needs to prepare for the emergence of alternative fuel vehicles, and it is no real surprise that California might be the starting point.  It seems for all the political talk that very little has happened in terms of alternative fuel.  It will be quite a wonderful sight to see new electronic fueling stations going up around the nation.  We need this push into the future so we may better compete in the global economy in the near future.

For more information about how to rent a car during the Thanksgiving or Christmas seasons, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!

Tags: Uncategorized by Christopher - 3 Comments »

It seems that most everywhere in the world is ahead of America when it comes to updating it’s automotive fleet.  According to Reuters:

“Portugal will build 1,300 charging stations for electric cars by the end of 2011 as part of a deal with Renault and Nissan to promote zero-emission vehicles, the government and the auto makers said on Saturday.

As part of the agreement with France’s Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan, Portugal will also decree that one-fifth of all its public fleet vehicle purchases be zero-emission starting in 2011.  Renault-Nissan will start deliveries to Portugal of its electric cars in early 2011, making Portugal the first European country to be supplied with electric vehicles from the alliance. In 2012, Nissan and Renault will mass-market electric vehicles globally. “

Tags: Uncategorized by Christopher - No Comments »

This story can be filed under the- “the world is a very sick place” heading.  The BBC is reporting that:

A man is in hospital after concrete was thrown from a bridge in Essex and landed on his car.

The 30-year-old man from Brentwood was on the A12 near the A130 junction at Howe Green on Saturday evening when his windscreen was smashed.

He was taken to hospital and has bruising on his arm.

Later on that evening another block of concrete was thrown from a bridge on the A12 near Brentwood resulting in the driver bursting the tyres on his car.

I have read similar stories from years back.  One I remember vividly involved a middle aged woman who ended up needing extensive medical care and plastic surgery after a large object was dropped from an overpass onto her face as she lay sleeping next to her husband who was driving.  Stories like this just make you think about the world and how sick it can be at times.  What would compell someone to intentionally do something, indescriminantly, that could result in the serious injury or death of another human being?  This is the type of story that might also make you think twice the next time you drive under that bridge on your way to work.  Who knows what kind of mania might be up there. 

For more information about how to rent a car during the Thanksgiving or Christmas seasons, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!

Tags: Uncategorized by Christopher - No Comments »

I have said it before and I’ll say it again. Unions just don’t work. If you want proof positive, look no further than Honda’s new plant in Indiana. The plant is primed to start pumping out Civics that will back the big three even further into their corner, or if you would prefer another analogy…push them deeper into their coffin. The freepress is reporting:

“The Honda plant is the other side of the bailout story,” Chaison said. “These are companies which are still expanding and which have lower cost structures. They are also facing the world financial crisis, but they are in much better shape.”

Under a new, two-tier UAW contract signed in 2007, the average base wage rate for existing workers at each of the Detroit Three is about $28 per hour, and new workers will be hired at base wage rates of $14 to $16.23 per hour.

“So much of the costs faced by GM and Ford are costs to workers who are no longer working anymore,” Chaison said. “Essentially, Honda is paying workers who make cars, and GM, Ford and Chrysler are paying workers that made cars.”

Detroit needs a total revision. Michigan has extremely high unemployment currently, and this is due in no small part to them having one of the highest unionization rates in the country. If you unions don’t go, the companies will. Why don’t people understand this?

For more information about how to rent a car during the Thanksgiving or Christmas seasons, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!

Tags: Uncategorized by Christopher - No Comments »

I am sure that the last few times you have gone to the pump, you probably let out a small “thank you” inside of your head.  Now that gas prices are finally getting back to an acceptable level you might think that consumption would rise.  The good news is that it has not.  Americans are still buying less gas at the pumps then they were before prices hit the roof.

I, for one, find this to be encouraging news.  The problem is that since we have finally started to cut our dependence on foreign oil, will the trend continue?  Certainly as long as we are in our current recession/depression oil consumption will be down.  I find the parallels to our current situation and the 1970s striking.  Today it is SUVs, in the 70s it was muscle cars.  In both situations gas started to get out of the reach of the ordinary citizen.  In the 70s it was due to a shortage mandated by the oil suppliers, today it was caused by the excessive prices.

Even though the 70s oil crisis lead to smaller and more fuel efficient cars, the trend was not long lived, as is evidenced by our current supply of SUVs.  After a short scare, people moved right back to big gas guzzlers.  I hope that we as a nation take this lesson and run with it.  No more gas guzzlers…forever, lest we repeat the errors of the past.

For more information about how to rent a car during the Thanksgiving or Christmas seasons, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!

Tags: Uncategorized by Christopher - No Comments »

Time.com is reporting that retail sales really aren’t so bad…if you ignore car sales and gas sales.  Justin Fox writes:

Except that the hardest-hit category by far, gasoline stations–down 12.7%–was down largely because gas prices were down. It wasn’t that consumers were cutting back. It’s that they were saving money. Take gas stations out of the equation and the retail spending decline is 1.5%. Take gas stations and cars (motor vehicle & parts dealers) out, and the decline is 0.5%. Then again, if you take all the stuff that went down out of the equation, retail sales were up. Which means precisely nothing at all. (Source Time.com)

This begs the question, why are we bailing out auto manufactures who cannot currently compete?  In fact, the United States auto industry has been dead in the water for the last three decades, so why fix a problem that has been broken for so long?  To answer that question, I don’t think that we should.  The economist John Kenneth Galbraith is said to have remarked in the early 70’s that all of New York Cities problems could be fixed if we just doubled the budget.  A few years later the budget have more than doubled, and the problems were worse than ever.  If we bailout the auto industry, I predict that 10 years from now they will be just as bad off, and at the cost of our taxpaying wallets.

For more information about how to rent a car during the Thanksgiving or Christmas seasons, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!

Tags: Uncategorized by Christopher - No Comments »

I remember my cousin had an accident where he fell asleep behind the wheel and wrecked his car. I also remember him having a device called the “sleeper beeper” after the incident. As I recall (and this was a long time ago so bear with me), the device went on the drivers ear and would beep like an alarm clock when the drivers head began to dip downwards. Good idea right? Well Fujitsu Labs is releasing an updated version to help keep us all safe from sleepy drivers.

The system will work something like a treadmill. If that doesn’t make much sense, think about when you check your heart rate to see if you are in the proper fat burning/cardio zone. Well the Fujitsu system has similar sensors in the steering wheel that detect when the drivers heart rate begins to regulate, a sign that they are getting ready to doze off. News.cnet.com says that at this point several things could happen:

The windows could automatically roll down, the car’s radio could be turned up, or there could be sensory feedback from the steering wheel to jolt someone awake.

The system isn’t a finished product. Right now, it’s still in the research and development phase, but the company hopes to have production models for consumer vehicles as well as commercial trucks ready by 2010.

Decades after the “sleeper beeper” and it is still a good idea!

For more information about how to rent a car during the Thanksgiving or Christmas seasons, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!

Tags: Uncategorized by Christopher - 2 Comments »

I must admit that stories like the following one give me the chills.  This is mostly due to the fact that my girlfriend is a runner who frequently runs along the highways.  It is being reported by newsday.com that two joggers were run over in Huntington New York by a 19 year old driver who was apparently under the influence of an unnamed drug.

Suffolk County police say Shea Rosen was driving an SUV southbound on Route 110 in Huntington at about 7:25 p.m. Thursday when he hit the joggers.

Amanda Malloy, a 29-year-old Melville resident, was pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital.

Her companion, 32-year-old Vincent Saunders of Huntington, was hospitalized in serious condition.(Source newsday.com)

Rosen is currently being held on a 1 million dollar bond.
Specific details were not given about where the runners were struck, but my girlfriend is from this part of New York and said that Route 110 is heavily traveled.  It is of course suggested that when running you avoid high traffic areas, especially during rush hour, and that you run on the sidewalk if at all possible.  So be careful when you are running, and if you are driving please think twice about doing so while intoxicated.  The consequences can truly be life altering in the worst way possible.

For more information about how to rent a car during the Thanksgiving or Christmas seasons, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!

Tags: Uncategorized by Christopher - 1 Comment »

I have always had a problem with busing.  One part of my distaste comes from the fact that I remember being driven around for more than an hour in the morning (even though I lived 5-10 minutes away from the school.  Another reason is that buses are a nightmare on the road, slowing down already bad traffic.  Another reason is that the idea of getting a bunch of kids in a cramped space with only one adult just seems like trouble.  Case in point…

A Shrewsbury school bus driver has been fired for disciplining a 9-year-old girl by ordering her off the bus at the wrong stop, about a mile-and-a-half from her house across a busy highway.

The fourth-grader, Cyrena S. Medbury, was apparently being disciplined for moving to a different seat without permission Wednesday. She returned home safely after getting a ride from the father of another pupil she recognized. Her mother nonetheless fretted over what might have happened if someone else had picked up her daughter.(Source Boston.com)

I know that there are plenty of good bus drivers out there, but what if you get a bad one like this?  They have the lives of dozens of kids at their finger tips.  On the flip side of that coin, we have all seen the videos of kids going nuts on a bus leaving the bus driver unable to control the crowd.  In short…the busing program needs to go!

For more information about how to rent a car during the Thanksgiving or Christmas seasons, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!

Tags: Uncategorized by Christopher - No Comments »

One of the busiest times of year for driving is during the winter months of November and December when people hit the roads to visit family and friends for the holidays. That being said, here are 10 tips to keep in mind for safer driving:

1. Get Plenty of Sleep: If you’re leaving early the next morning, make sure you’re packed two days in advance, this way you can get to bed early the night before!
2. Bring Snacks: The less stops along the way will not only save you gas; it will save you time as well.
3. Leave with a Full Tank of Gas: Always start your trips off with a full tank. If you don’t quite have a full tank of gas, still make sure that you top it off.
4. Get Your Vehicle Inspected: Before any major trip, always make sure that your vehicle inspection is up to date. This includes major as well as minor things such as making sure the tire pressure is ok as well as having the oil changed.
5. Pack an Emergency Kit: Every car should have a first aid kit.
6. Bring Cell Phone Charger & List of Numbers: In this day and age, don’t leave home without your cell phone. It comes in handy should you be stuck in traffic or have a major emergency. However, technology is still flawed, so bring a hardcopy of any important numbers in case (god forbid) you have to use a pay phone.
7. Carry Spare Change: If you know that you’re going to be traveling on major highways, it’s always a good idea to carry spare change just in case. This is also true for unexpected payphone use
8. Don’t Stop for Anyone: If you don’t know them, don’t stop for them. Safety first.
9. Avoid Using Your Cell Phone While Driving: Most accidents these days are caused by people who don’t pay attention while driving because they are on their cell phones. If you’re traveling, let others know this way it’ll cut down on phone use. Try to use the phone only when you stop for gas or in case of an emergency. Additionally, know the laws for cell phone usage as it pertains to the state(s) you’ll be driving through. Some states, like NY, ban cell phone use unless you have a hands-free device.
10. Carry a Map: This goes without saying. Even if you have a GPS system, it’s always better to have a paper map as a backup in case something happens.

For more information about how to rent a car during the Thanksgiving or Christmas seasons, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!

Tags: General Auto by Janelle - 1 Comment »