Traffic is the worst! Seriously, just about the only thing that could make it better is if you got paid to sit in it. Drivers on a Singapore expressway were stopping and getting out of their cars when more than RM10,000, or about $2,580USD, were found scattered across the expressway. No one knows where the money came from, but we do know it caused quite a disturbance on the expressway as people stopped to snatch it all up. It’s not really the same as getting paid to sit in traffic, but last time I sat in traffic all I got was late to work, so I guess this isn’t a bad option.
We’ve talked to the benefits of car and vanpooling, and how it can save you money and trouble with your own car. Some people may think that those things don’t apply to them somehow. Well guess what, even superheroes are susceptible to the downfall of automobile parts. Last week on a highway in Ontario, Canada Batman himself (well, Canada native Steven Lawrence dressed as the Bat) broke down on the side of the road causing traffic on the Ontario highway. Maybe next time he should consider leaving the Batmobile at the cave and instead, carpool with Robin.
The Tesla Model S P90D helped to put electric cars on the radar of sports car enthusiasts. With a zero-to-sixty time of 2.8 seconds it’s a worthy competitor to some of the most elite sports cars. A group of students from Germany’s University of Stuttgart wanted to one up Tesla’s acceleration so they built the Green Team Formula drag racer. Although this fully electric isn’t street legal, its all-electric engine boasts an amazing zero-to-sixty time of 1.7 seconds! Not only are electric cars great for the environment, but also they are quickly becoming a real force in the sports car scene.
A study done at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is looking at some of the potential effects of driverless electric taxis on the environment in 2030. It was reported recently that Uber was in talks with Tesla about getting 500,000 driverless electric vehicles by 2020. The study showed that an electric car in 2030 would produce 90% less emissions than a gas-powered vehicle from 2014. You can already see the impact Uber’s potential purchase could have. The study also showed that by 2030, if there are 800,000 driverless taxis on the road, it could cut the demand for gas by almost 7 million barrels of oil a year!
It’s no secret that we preach the benefits of carpooling here. One thing we don’t talk about is how to do it correctly. Mainly because we assume most of you know how carpooling works. The short version is; you and some like-minded people decide to leave cars at home and take one vehicle to work (or whatever the destination). Turns out a Toronto man needed the explanation. He was driving with two other people in his car, so he was using the HOV lane. Problem is, the two other people were mannequins! This guy clearly doesn’t understand how the benefits of carpool work. To this man’s credit, all occupants of the vehicle, living or otherwise, were all wearing their seatbelts. At least he understands how safety works.
