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Don’t be Fueled! |
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The shortening daylight hours are signaling the approach of autumn. That's the time many Bay Area denizens head out for the highway and into the countryside to revel at the fall color display. For some folks, though, escalating prices at the gas pump may temper those impulses. This may be a great time to give the gas guzzlers (and our air) a break. Instead why not test-drive what may be the conventional transportation of the not-too-distant future: hybrid vehicles and their more limited, but still environmentally friendly cousins, electric cars and scooters? EV
Rental Cars (www.evrental.com)
is the company that
pioneered this
environmentally
conscious concept
nationwide. You can
rent such hybrids as the
Toyota Prius, the Honda
Civic GX (uses natural
gas), the Honda Civic
and the Ford Escape
(SUV) at locations near
San Francisco and
Oakland airports.
Scoot around
downtown San
Francisco in
a GEM
(Global
Electric
Motors) car,
courtesy of
Electric
Time Car
Rentals (www.etcars.com)
located at
Fisherman's
Wharf.
These cars,
with a
limited
speed range,
are a
fixture of
many
communities
in the
Sacramento
region, such
as Davis and
the North
Natomas
neighborhood
in
Sacramento
where
planned
street
design has
made them
the ideal
method for
transportation.
Electric
Time also
offers a
neat
feature, a
GPS
historical
audio tour
where
drivers,
with a
choice of
three
different
routes, are
given clear
directional
instructions
about where
to turn and
what to look
for around
each corner.
Try touring
at an even
slower pace
on a Segway,
an electric
scooter.
Last year I
sampled the
Segway at
Amelia
Island
Plantation
in Florida
(http://www.aipfl.com/).
Amelia's
president,
Jack Healan,
is an ardent
environmentalist,
and uses the
Segway to
navigate
this
expansive
and very
beautiful
property.
Before
venturing on
a guided
tour, all
Segway-users
are given
instruction
that
includes
test-rides
to get
accustomed
to this
balance-driven
vehicle.
While I
recommend
visiting
Amelia for
its
amenities
(sand, surf,
renowned
annual
tennis
tournament
and fabled
spa and golf
facilities),
you can try
out the
Segway much
closer to
home. San
Francisco
Electric
Tour Company
(http://www.sfelectrictour.com/)
offers
Segway
guided tours
in San
Francisco
and
Sausalito.
. Along
with weight
limitations,
some
physical
restrictions
apply.
According to
their
website:
"Riders must
be able to
easily and
quickly step
on and off
the Segway
without
assistance,
which
requires
physical
abilities
similar to
climbing and
descending
stairs
without any
assistance
or use of a
handrail.
Rider must
be able to
operate the
steering
control with
his or her
left hand."
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