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Green Service Review: Irreplaceable Hybrid Zipcar

So when you're going to scope out some potential urban garden sites to renovate what do you do? Browsing ecologically stressed sites is geographically more challenging in NYC that visiting web sites. I visited the sites the first time on my wife's electric bike, but this trip would be uncomfortable riding with two. So the thing to do would be drive a ZIPCAR!  I looked to see what electrics or hybrids were in the neighborhood. Outside my loft the bus runs two blocks from where a Honda Insight hybrid lives. I booked the car for a couple of hours to take a look with an associate who is also interested in scoping out vacant lots for renovation. When she called to confirm the time she asked if we could extend the reservation because she needed to make a run to redhook to get a bookcase. Sure enough the reservation was super easy to change from 2 hours to 4 and just called her back within seconds to give the good news. Karma was my friend when I went out the back door of my building, the bus was waiting. I jumped on rode over the bridge to Harlem, walked a few blocks and in 8 minutes I was at the intersection section on my gps map indicated by the ZIPCAR app.


Hrm... there was a lot there but it wasn't like other lots I had seen for ZIPCARS. It was open and no locks on the gates - there was a hybrid but it wasn't a Honda Hrm... I walked down the street and came to the gorgeous 132 street block community garden!! But no other car lot.. while I was walking back I called the customer support line and said I was at the lot but I didn't see the car. I figured that it just might not be back yet from the previous renter... The polite person on the other end told me to hold and within 30 seconds told me to listen while she honked the horn on the car. I said I didn't see the car in the lot and she said it was in a parking garage. Ah! I said thanks that clears things up and said a nice goodbye. I walked into the garage waved my card at the window sensor and the attendant pulled the car out for me and told me where to park it when I returned. I  climbed in and whirred out of the garage.

My compatriot texted me she was out of the subway and I saw her at the corner. My phone plugged into the 1/8" plug and ELO's "Evil Woman" blared out. I couldnt find a way to pair the phone with the car. But hey - I had a copilot and we rolled to our first beatup lot. The car parked like a dream and we rolled to the second spot then past the stadium then to the third spot, then got on the highway to ride through the rain. The tolls were paid at the gate automatically. We arrived in south brooklyn on the shore near my old job at the garden center. We parked quickly under the store becasue of the rain and jumped inside, creeping through the back in to the self service area. She found her items super fast got in the check out line and I got hotdogs and chips and felt ashamed- I never get hotdogs and chips. We chomped our lunch feeling psyched that we found everything quickly and efficiently. We talked about budget cuts and layoffs and adolescent behavioral management. We finished our 2$ dogs and the stuff went into the back of the vehicle like it was made to do. The seats folded down and the hatch closed over her bookcase. Perfect!

 ZIPCAR pitched in for the ride
 to help write this article, wasn't that nice?
The toll being automatically paid for on the drive back to the UES was a bit surreal. Maybe it was because we realized the speedometer was digital in the tunnel. It's odd not seeing a needle. I pushed the green econ button for fun to see what might happen, but it didn't make a perceptible difference in the performance of the vehicle. We chatted about what the meters might mean as I noticed the charging meter increased when I was braking. We unloaded the bookcase, well not exactly, we carried the bookcase up the three flight walk up, and I said my goodbyes. I returned the vehicle parking it and locking it with my card with the sensor on the front right windshield. I always double check that its locked... Leaving keys in those cars always makes me nervous. Ok yeah a  pretty green day : ).

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