MOTOR RUN VEHICLES

Motor Run Vehicles



Motor Run Vehicles

Introduction

Living without a car can be pretty tough, especially in the U.S., where public transportation is frequently lacking and where questionable urban planning has caused the average person to live far away from workplaces, schools, and markets. That said, it's certainly possible, as long as you're willing to change your lifestyle.

Determine why you are going car-less. For some people, it's about social responsibility (i.e. minimizing fossil fuel consumption). For others, it's about health or to save money. For still others, it's because, for whatever reason, they don't have a driver's license. And for a few, it's simply about freedom — not being tied down to the responsibilities of owning and maintaining a car. Your reason behind living without a car will affect how far you're willing to go with this lifestyle choice. But no matter what your motivation is one thing's for sure: there will be tremendous cost savings.

Use public transportation. If you live in an area with public transportation, take advantage of it. Research routes, find out about special fares and programs, bookmark the local trip planner on your computer, and save the customer service number on your cell phone.

Buy a bicycle. The cheapest ones at discount stores may go as low as $45 and high quality commute bikes range from $500 to $1200. Garage sales and online classifieds frequently offer additional low cost or even free bicycles. Police departments often have annual sales of bicycles they've recovered. Remember—besides being free, environmentally friendly, and usually immune to traffic congestion, bikes also give you a free daily workout. If your day to day life is going to depend on the bicycle, look into the climate and other factors as described in the Tips below.

Buy an electric bike or an electric scooter. Remember all the hype over the Segway? This is a simpler solution. These bikes are rapidly spreading in China, Japan, and many other countries of the world. They put out very little CO2 relative to a car, they are incredibly cheap to "fuel," and they are a fun and familiar ride. A typical electric bike costs $500 to $1500, and will go 8-20 miles on a charge. You can pedal assist or go with all electric, but the bikes are great if you want to wear your work clothes and avoid a shower (less sweat, faster to work). They are actually pretty fast (14 - 20 mph), don't require insurance, and are low maintenance. Batteries can be lead acid (reliable and cheap, but heavy), nickel metal hydride (long lasting and lighter, but more expensive), and lithium ion (very light and long lasting, but expensive and still somewhat untested in bikes).

The technology is advancing by leaps and bounds. The new trend is that of using cell-phones while driving. This is considered hip and trendy especially among the teens and hence the numbers of accidents have reached an alarming rate due to the use of this blistering ...