Jaunted - Tag: Cars

Prepping For The Great Chinese Road Trip

pbb — 2008-11-11T16:45:11-05:00

When we said "the great American road trip ain't what it used to be," our point was that advances in highway and automotive technology in the US have changed the character of our asphalt adventures. But China's efforts to build the world's foremost interstate system have us thinking that our next windows-down, radio-up ride may happen on the Jinghu Expressway not Route 66.

Says The Wall Street Journal:

The speed of China's motorization is stunning--some 30,000 miles of expressways were built in the past decade. Plans call for China's highway system to stretch 53,000 miles by 2020, surpassing the 47,000 miles of interstate roads in the US currently. China has roughly the same land area as the continental US.
Unlike the golden era of the American highway--which started in the 1960s and was mostly complete by the 1980s--this road boom is taking place in a poor, largely rural country where only about 10 percent of the population have their driver's licenses.

That means the highways are, for the most part, quiet, except when over-burdened trucks rumble by. But while the development opens up new travel possibilities, it also carries an environmental threat: Beijing's air already looks like this.

[Photo: ernop]

The Great American Road Trip Ain't What it Used to Be

Victor Ozols — 2008-11-08T14:58:10-05:00

The USA might be a bit overly-reliant on automobiles to get around, but there's no denying the mystique of the great American road trip. The lure of the open road is one that goes back as far as the automobile itself, but things were quite a bit more difficult back in the day, as an interesting collection of old photos shows. A Texas programmer recently posted a photo essay from 1924, when his great uncle and a friend drove from Berkeley to M.I.T. to do some graduate study. The trip took thirty days and involved very few paved roads, which is quite a contrast to Alex Roy's recent cross-country drive that took 32 hours and 7 minutes. This predates the Interstate Highway System by decades, of course, which meant driving the old jalopy over desert, mud flats, salt beds, and gravel paths for thousands of miles. There's no denying that the trip was fraught with discomfort, frustration, and probably a fair bit of danger to boot, but it was probably one of the highlights of Great Uncle Harold's life as well. You can't stop the march of progress, of course, but by making everything easier, faster, and safer, you do kind of miss out on a little bit of adventure.

[Photo: robertlandrum.com]

Related Stories:
· Berkeley to M.I.T. [robertlandrum.com]
· Road Trips [Jaunted]

Paris: Auto Travel: Start Your (Electric) Engines

ced138 — 2008-10-03T09:45:38-05:00

The Paris Motor Show kicks off for the 110th (!) time on Saturday. For two weeks, manufacturers from across the world will exhibit 90 new car models and organizers expect more than 1.5 million attendees.

Since hybrid vehicles are so 2008, this year's show is all about straight-up electric rides. And the car with the most buzz this year is the Volt, made by none other than General Motors, the US-based manufacturer that's brought us earth-raping behemoths of every stripe.

For the first time, GM has shifted toward developing small, fuel-efficient vehicles, with the Volt as its model for the future. It's a wonder how seamlessly market demand can overhaul a stubborn multibillion-dollar corporation! Now when will Paris start renting out Volts of its own?

Related Stories:
· Mondia La Automobile [Official Site]
· Cars coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: GM Blogs]

Cambridge: Futuristic Travel: Road Trips Made Easy With Folding Car

egw — 2008-03-12T13:00:01-05:00

Ever notice how the waiting areas at car rental offices almost never have seats? See, they'd prefer you fall asleep on your feet so you'll be more apt to sign your life away in case someone accidentally breathes on your car in the parking lot. Well, fear us, rental-car agencies of the world!

Or rather, fear scientists at MIT who have been working on a car you can check out as easily as an airport luggage cart.

The electric City Car, a two-seater just slightly smaller than a Smart Car, folds in half for parking and is easily rechargable. The team's even contemplating installing a joystick that would allow users to steer the car. A joystick! All that and it "promotes a socially responsible and more effective means of urban mobility."

Related Stories:
· City Car [Official Site]
· Rental Cars coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Smart Cities project]

Paris: Paris Gives Tourists Nearly-Free Cars

amandak — 2008-01-08T09:20:01-05:00

After the successful introduction of the nearly free bike rental program called Velib in Paris last year, the city's mayor has just announced they're going to follow it up with a similar scheme using small cars.

The Voiturelib program will involve a fleet of small blue cars at stations around the city. Tourists and residents will both be able to pick up a car without booking ahead, use it for a small charge, then leave it at another station anywhere in Paris. (God knows the one thing Paris needs is more clueless drivers.)

They're going to start the system up with 2,000 cars and see how it works out. We can just imagine the day when tourists hop in all the cars at once and get stuck at the impossible traffic roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe.

Related Stories:
· Paris to Offer Public Electric Cars [Jamble]
· Velib Bike Rentals Super Popular in Paris [Jaunted]
· One Velib, Si'l Vous Plait [Jaunted]

[Photo: ohad*]

Adventures of Link: Pedal to the Metal

pbb — 2007-11-06T17:19:53-05:00

This road trip contest we've been hyping has us fantasizing about the open road. Even though we still have to tap a vein to afford to fill the tank, sometimes there's no better way to travel than driving.

And when you do eventually have to park that ride and fly, there's a lot happening out there. From cell phone lots cropping up at airports to parking services that are worth a ride, taking the car will keep you smiling--even if your flight doesn't.

Related Stories:
· Philadelphia International Using Technology to Help with Parking [USA Today]
· St. Louis Getting a Cell Phone Lot [USA Today]
· Frequent Flyers Love The Parking Spot [NYT]
· Let Someone Else Do The Driving [Dallas Morning News]
· Or Skip The Car: Seattle's Expanding Bike Routes [Seattle Times]

[Photo: absolutwade]

Travel Tips: Is Car Rental Insurance Worth It?

ced138 — 2007-08-30T11:30:02-05:00

The frustrating answer: Sometimes.

We all know the drill. We find a clown car-sized vehicle online that can get us from Point A to Point B for $34.99. When we get up to the counter, taxes, gas, insurance and (for some of us) the under-25 fee pushes the cost well above the $150 mark. Suddenly an afternoon on the open road costs more than a round-trip flight on a budget carrier. What went wrong?

For starters, many of us insure something that's already insured. Rental insurance is a waste for car owners because most auto policies extend to rentals. Just make sure the rental car is worth about the same as the one you own. A policy on a $500 '89 Oldsmobile will only cover up to $500 in damages to that $60,000 Lincoln Navigator you rented to drive up and down the Jersey Shore. Next time, you won't let those girls in bikinis sit on the hood.

However, car-less renters need to suck it up and pay the extra $40 for basic collision and liability coverage. In the worst-case scenario, an uncovered driver could be accountable for the total cost of the rental vehicle and any other cars involved in an accident. Now that'll ruin a trip.

Related Stories:
· Travel Tips [Jaunted]

[Photo: Palm Covers Car]