Living Car Free - Would you still be car-free if....?

Would you still be car-free if you owned one of these?
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=55435295

What type of vehicle would have to come out for you to consider purchasing one? Electric golf carts for $100 that dont require insurance? They sell the car from the video and I have seen them around San Diego. What if the electric car from the video could be had for $5,000, would you buy one?

It seems as though many people who continue to drive are just waiting for the next big technological advance to solve the problem of sustainability rather than take it upon themselves to do something about it. What do you think could come out that would fit this bill?

I would indeed still be car free, and there's no way I would own one of those. It's not just about energy, it's also about the sheer amount of space a car takes up - the endless queues of traffic, the difficulty of parking, not to mention the cost. That's why I sold my car but kept my motorbike. The motorbike is now for sale too, mostly due to its energy use, but also the cost, and the fact that I just don't need it.

I would not buy one. For one thing, I couldn't even come close to affording it. Also, it would still involve most of the other frustrations of owning a car. Now I might own a golf cart if they were street legal here and required no insurance or plates of any kind.

If the aptera is a car, and you own one, you're not car free.

Is it a car? I think so - I wouldn't call it a motorcycle. Just because something is electric doesn't make it not a car.

Honestly, if I had enough money, the only car I would own would be something that was fun to drive and could go very fast on a track.

Honestly, if I had enough money, the only car I would own would be something that was fun to drive and could go very fast on a track.

I don't have enough money for that, but I do have a Playstation - all the fast cars I could possibly want, so long as I only want them as toys.

The Aptera is a motorcycle by law because it has three wheels instead of four. Since it is an enclosed rolling vehicle that doesn't need to be balanced I would consider it a car. Originally the price for one of these was supposed to be much lower than $20K. Now the estimated price is $25-40K. If I wanted a big motorized toy I would get one. I don't think it would get much use after the newness wore off.

I bought a new Honda Fit in 2006, which many people felt was a really cool car, and I only drove it 2766 miles in almost two years.

Would I consider myself car free if I owned a motor home? I'm still contemplating that question.

No, that's a car. I wouldn't buy one, but it's an interesting design; I wouldn't mind seeing more "cars" like that on the road in place of some of (or a lot of) the internal combustion engine driven vehicles out there now. Plus, I don't remember them mentioning how fast it goes, but it doesn't look very fast which would be another plus for it if that's the case.

@smallwheels - are you considering living in the motorhome? I'd consider it being car free if you had a motorhome you lived in and just kept parked most of the time. That is, if you don't have another car you drive around in. I'm considering that arrangement for myself, as a matter of fact.

No, that's a car. I wouldn't buy one, but it's an interesting design; I wouldn't mind seeing more "cars" like that on the road in place of some of (or a lot of) the internal combustion engine driven vehicles out there now. Plus, I don't remember them mentioning how fast it goes, but it doesn't look very fast which would be another plus for it if that's the case.

@smallwheels - are you considering living in the motorhome? I'd consider it being car free if you had a motorhome you lived in and just kept parked most of the time. That is, if you don't have another car you drive around in. I'm considering that arrangement for myself, as a matter of fact.

It is freeway legal. So it can do 55-65 MPH. I would be car light and because mass transit sucks where I live I would consider a EV that goes 70 or 80 or 100 miles as a great solution. Non polluting and it charges on 110 volts. Here we can get a Gem and drive it on the street as long as it is a posted street of 35 or less. Maybe 25 I don't remember. In the next city over to me that can drive on streets posted higher. The also charge on 110 volts. They use about as much energy to charge as a 150 watt bulb and have a range of 25 -40 miles. Great for weekly grocery shopping. I wouldn't ride any less and I wouldn't drive any more. But the driving I would do would be cleaner and easier.

Aptera (http://aptera.com/) I have been watching it for a while. No you wouldn't be car free, but it sure would be a step in the right direction. IIRC the top speed is around 75mph. They also have a second model in the planning stages that utilizes a small efficient gas motor to provide electrical power when the batteries are low. There is a lot of innovative thinking that has gone into the Aptera that could be adapted for other vehicles. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Aaron:)

That would be an oven during summer months because there's no air conditioner! Since it doesn't have a heater, it would be an icebox during the winter. No bumber means you're at a huge disadvantge in an accident with someone who has one.

No thanks.

I doubt I'll ever have a car again.
that is, I doubt I'll ever be in a situation, or feel that I'd allocate that much of my time to pay for one.

you know... selling off your noons and forenoons
that is how much time out of your life are you willing to give up for a car

for about 28yrs, my life has had a bike in it.
for at least 17yrs, its been a major part of my life
for at least 5yrs I've been car free. which ended up = that i grew to zero debt = grew to some cash saved up.

so far I've been without a job for almost 2yrs.
at some point i will have to relent to finding a job again.

the other day a younger guy zoomed around me in his new Subaru WRX, STI (now i like that car)
but I'd never sell of my time for it. and time = your life. money comes and goes
you can gain a dollar
you can loose a dollor
you never get back your minutes, hours, days, etc...
when a minute is gone... its gone.

merchandise is merchandise
cars wear out
your time goes one way.

Couldn't give me one; repeat of the 1980 energy campaign, the 1964 to '71 "muscle car" era with some 2005 Pimp My Ride, art car, and 2008 Fast and Furious image. Being in the "been there - done that" mindset - and being mid-50 with ageing eyesight has really been a boon for me. Aptera barely fits in a one car garage due to the front wheels. We are NOT in the wide-track-Pontiac era! I love 3-wheelers, but this just doesn't work for me.

I would still be car-free. A car is something I don't think I will ever be able to afford, in addition to me not liking them overall. Plus basic maintenance of a car is something I will never understand, so yea, I am car free till the day my life is over.

Not only would you not be car free, you would probably no longer be financially solvent... $25 - 40K for a vehicle that seems like it might fit 2 people and a peanut butter sandwich...

It has some nice features over a car, but it unfortunately seems to take up about the same amount of parking space as a small car... so for the future of cities and such, we would still have an enormous amount of parking space required.

Still, it is electric and would be a step in the right direction if these could replace some of the Chevy Yukons on the road.

I'm not car light for the environment, I'm car light for my pocketbook and my sanity. This addresses none of those things.

It does look cool, though.

That would be an oven during summer months because there's no air conditioner! Since it doesn't have a heater, it would be an icebox during the winter. No bumber means you're at a huge disadvantge in an accident with someone who has one.

No thanks.

I doubt it would be colder or hotter than riding a bike in the same weather. Apparently the design is extremely safe as it has a cockpit much like an F1 racecar that is designed for highspeed inpacts.

Not only would you not be car free, you would probably no longer be financially solvent... $25 - 40K for a vehicle that seems like it might fit 2 people and a peanut butter sandwich...

It has some nice features over a car, but it unfortunately seems to take up about the same amount of parking space as a small car... so for the future of cities and such, we would still have an enormous amount of parking space required.

Still, it is electric and would be a step in the right direction if these could replace some of the Chevy Yukons on the road.

Ive seen them upclose before. They have the saem foot print as a small sedan. They seat 2 REAL size people comfortably and has a HUGE flate bed stlye trunk that could handle a decent size trip to Costco.

My question then, since everyone seems to be against this sort of thing (which is fine) is: What would a vehicle have to do, cost, no do, inorder for you to consider owning one. One person mentioned an elctric go cart type vehicle that could do 30mph, was safe, that did not require insurance, that was very small and easy to park.

Any other ideas? What would science have to come up with in order for you to consider buying a personal vehicle? Teleportation? How about jet packs that ran on happy thoughts and marshmellows with the emissions being rainforest seeds, and cost about $1.50? Please, have some fun with it!

Ive seen them upclose before. They have the saem foot print as a small sedan. They seat 2 REAL size people comfortably and has a HUGE flate bed stlye trunk that could handle a decent size trip to Costco.

My question then, since everyone seems to be against this sort of thing (which is fine) is: What would a vehicle have to do, cost, no do, inorder for you to consider owning one. One person mentioned an elctric go cart type vehicle that could do 30mph, was safe, that did not require insurance, that was very small and easy to park.

Any other ideas? What would science have to come up with in order for you to consider buying a personal vehicle? Teleportation? How about jet packs that ran on happy thoughts and marshmellows with the emissions being rainforest seeds, and cost about $1.50? Please, have some fun with it!


I'm assuming all of us already own a personal vehicle.

I'm constantly surprised at the number of Costco comments I read on this board. Along the lines of "I need a car to go to Costco", or "How would I going to get my Costco purchases home on the train". Even among people who I would have assumed were trying to live more simply. Not judging, I just can't relate I guess. I would buy a house because it was close to the farmers market. I'm not sure that warehouse club sells anything that I buy.

We don't have that problem in Arkansas. Costco doesn't dare enter WalMartkansas. ;)

My Bikes To Work trailer can carry a good Costco load though.

My question then, since everyone seems to be against this sort of thing (which is fine) is: What would a vehicle have to do, cost, no do, inorder for you to consider owning one. One person mentioned an elctric go cart type vehicle that could do 30mph, was safe, that did not require insurance, that was very small and easy to park.

Any other ideas? What would science have to come up with in order for you to consider buying a personal vehicle? Teleportation? How about jet packs that ran on happy thoughts and marshmellows with the emissions being rainforest seeds, and cost about $1.50? Please, have some fun with it!

I am not really "against" anything as I may seem to be, but I am a bit outspoken! The Aptera is great on so many fronts, but price, size, insurance, and so on.

I have a 3-wheel EV but it is more a 42" wide scooter. That in a newer form peaks my interest!

My question then, since everyone seems to be against this sort of thing (which is fine) is: What would a vehicle have to do, cost, no do, inorder for you to consider owning one.

Well, I could buy a car for less than I'd pay for a bike. In fact i have owned several cars that cost only a few hundred dollars. They worked as well as other cars that cost 10 or even 100 times as much. So money is not the main issue for me.

I think that if ever get too old or too disabled to pedal my ass around, I would consider first a recumbent bike or trike with a motor assist and fairing. If that didn't work for me, I'd probably go with something like the Aptera or the GM/Segway thing. If that still was impractical, I'd go with a hybrid car or move into an assisted living facility and take the shuttle van everywhere.

I enjoy bicycling too much to give it up,

My question then, since everyone seems to be against this sort of thing (which is fine) is: What would a vehicle have to do, cost, no do, inorder for you to consider owning one. One person mentioned an elctric go cart type vehicle that could do 30mph, was safe, that did not require insurance, that was very small and easy to park.

Any other ideas? What would science have to come up with in order for you to consider buying a personal vehicle? Teleportation? How about jet packs that ran on happy thoughts and marshmellows with the emissions being rainforest seeds, and cost about $1.50? Please, have some fun with it!

As I mentioned earlier, I'd be okay with owning a golfcart with a little bed on the back if they were street legal here and didn't require insurance and plates. However, I doubt I'd buy one unless I simply could no longer get where I need to go on a bicycle. And my goal is to eventually live in a place where I can walk to most of my destinations. I like cycling, but walking is even simpler. Where I currently live I can just barely get by being car free because I bike everwhere. Most things here are far too spread out for walking, though when I move into my house I'll be in a better, though far from ideal, location for walking. So I guess science couldn't come up with much to satisfy my transportation desires, unless they can figure out a way for me to move to a different city with our current economic problems. :p