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| zipcars.com, igocars.com & a weekend with a Prius | | Date Created: Jan 19, 2009, 12:40 PM |
I joined zipcars.com back in Oct. 2007 when I lived in Lincoln Park. There were a couple of Zipcar locations within a block of my apartment. When I moved to my present location, I discontinued my Zipcar memberships since they seem to be confined to the city. I instead joined igocars.com.
Both offer some pretty avant garde car sharing options but I think Zipcar has more driver's choices, stuff like BMW 3-series, Mini Cooper Convertibles. On the flip-side, IGOCars appears to have more eco-friendly choices like Priuses and Civic Hybrids. The pricing plan structure between the two are roughly comparable.
My take on short-trip/short-duration car sharing is that they make sense for just that... short trips of short duration. Even with their premium plans (that have minimum monthly spend requirements), car sharing gets expensive really quickly if you need the car frequently and for long periods of time. Comparison shop carefully between the traditional car rental agencies and car sharing agencies.
Making a reservation is definitely easier with IGOCars or Zipcars. Since the cars are seeded at selected locations, all you have to do is log-in to your account on their website, select the time and duration and submit the reservation request. At the appointed time, just go and pick-up the car. Entry is granted with a smartcard you swipe in front of a reader at the base or top of the windshield. |
 I needed a car to get to CoD for the annual NIU MSP instructor update so I decided to try a Toyota Prius. I have to say, my experience with the car was by and large, a positive one. Don't get me wrong, the Prius is not what I would define as a fun-to-drive or involving driving experience but with > 40mpg during my 65+ mile trip (a mix of highway, suburban and urban), who can argue from an eco/sustainability perspective?
Besides, it's a different kind of fun trying to extract the lowest consumption from the car. The center console display has a Energy Monitor screen that shows whether the car is being powered by the electric motor, engine or both. The Consumption screen shows, in 5 minute intervals, the consumption rate for the last 30 minutes in addition to real-time calculated mpg. The Prius, like most other "full" hybrids (the electric motor alone can power the car in street driving IF you don't exceed certain, rather low, rates of acceleration). there is a regenerative braking feature that recapatures the energy shed during braking or coasting. The Consumption screen shows, via a green car icon, how much regeneration you're capturing in 50Wh increments.
Based on my experience with the Prius and since I rely on two-wheeled conveyances to satisfy the need for speed, I think a hybrid (or other lower consumption vehicle like a clean diesel) can be a viable alternative for those who need eco-minded transportation. I am excited by the 2nd generation 2009 Insight, said to be the "least expensive" hybrid to date. Not a sports car for sure but probably a great city car.
I agree with most all the salient points presented in the Edmunds.com review of the 2008 Prius. The IGOCar unit I drove was a 2007 but I don't t hink there are any significant differences between the two model years. |
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