automobile

A Test of Progress « A Town Square

~ randyaa ~ Leave a comment

Sad that we can’t even come close today with modern Combustion engines.

A Test of Progress

November 14, 2011 by aandh

Almost every day as I wander around this place in images of times gone by, I find signs of who we once were. Perhaps these signs also point to what we may hope to become.

Witness this:

July 13th, 1913. The automobile is a Franklin. That’s Jimmy Feeney at the wheel – service manager for Franklin. City Sealer John Stephenson is about to pour a measured gallon into a glass container. Officials look on – after all, it’s a National Efficiency Demonstration.

And the answer: 57.2 miles on one gallon of gasoline.

Franklin Automobiles went out of business in 1934.

via A Test of Progress « A Town Square.

I Drove a Dodge Stratus

~ randyaa ~ 2 Comments

You can talk to me that way now… I drove a dodge stratus.

I’ve never named any of my cars.  I know some people name every one, and really if I were to ever name a car, I should have named my Stratus.

Giving it up is like giving up the last piece of my youth.  That said: On to the next exciting chapter in my life: Minivans (no not really), mortgages and daycare.

We’re picking up our new ride as this post goes up.  A new-to-us 2007 Honda CRV EX-L.  It’ll be the first foreign car either of us have ever owned (not counting the Stratus which for all intents and purposes was a Mitsubishi).  It’ll also be the first SUV.

I expect nothing but good things from the Honda.  It might even get a name.

Carbon-Free Stackable Cars

~ randyaa ~ Leave a comment

Carbon-Free Stackable CarI recently ran across an idea from MIT students for Carbon-Free Stackable Cars. The idea is to simply extend the range of public transportation. Public transportation typically only allows travel to the most common places. Often your real destination is off the beaten track. If that’s the case and the distance is too great people will often choose private transportation instead. This idea attempts to close that gap.

This reminds me of ZipCar in Boston. They leave cars in residential neighborhoods and allow you to reserve them online. You simply walk to it and pick it up to make use of it by the hour or the day. There’s no attendant and no complications. It’s simply a service you use at your convenience.

The fact that the cars are Carbon-Free is a huge bonus. Since the idea is to travel just small distances it seems like the plugin electric idea is a great fit. I can’t wait to see something like this put into place.