Hydrogen cars may not be the only solution when it comes to zero emissions and weaning this country off of fossil fuels. One other solution is less cars. And, on that note several companies have been involved in car-sharing programs to help those who would like to give up their automobiles but still need a car on occasion.
While rentals cars may be a good choice for those who need a car for a day or a week or more, car sharing programs target people who only need a car in the very short-term. For instance, New Yorkers or others who live in a metropolitan area, who don’t own a car may wish to car share for an hour to run to the doctor’s office or grocery store.
Car sharing programs have also been showing up on college campuses for students, professors or staff who need to take a quick trip to a satellite office or just to lunch. This pay-per-use model, which can be as cheap as $6 per hour is popular in Washington D.C. where government officials are looking for ways to downsize fleets. The hourly fee covers maintenance, insurance and profit.
Two of the biggest players in the car-sharing market are Flexcar and Zipcar. Both of these companies offer a relatively high percentage of hybrid cars in their programs. Now, if we can only convince them that hydrogen cars are the way to go, then this would truly be a zero-emissions option. Until then, we’ll have to settle for the fact that car-sharing programs are taking many drivers off the road and we can all breathe easier about that.
That’s all for now as I’ll be on vacation through July 6, 2007.