The Maryland Science Center in Baltimore is planning a car-sharing service similar to Zipcar — using electric cars.
The Maryland Science Center is taking its educational mission to the streets with a pack of electric cars. In August, the museum will start renting the cars by the hour in the neighborhoods near its home on the waterfront along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
“We think an electric car share program is the right thing to do.” said Van Reiner, the president of the institution. “We have a small solar array. We’re going to start building a green roof on Monday. We’re trying to be a leader in sustainability and an electric car share program is just one of the ways we’re trying to demonstrate our commitment.”
The program, co-sponsored by Exxon Mobil and called Altcar, will work like ZipCar and other car sharing companies, but the fleet will consist of battery-powered Maya 300s — the third generation of cars from battery makerElectrovaya.
The Maryland Science Center sits on the edge of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor next to neighborhoods filled with townhouses with little street parking. Mr. Reiner thinks that many of the residents who walk to work will want to rent the electric car by the hour to do errands like grocery shopping. There are even a few big box stores that can be reached without going on roads with speed limits higher than 35 miles per hour.
The cars will start at $9 per hour and drop to $7.50 per hour for those who commit to using the car at least three hours per month. These prices are competitive with ZipCar but they may not cover the entire cost of the car, which is still far from being mass-produced.
The first cars to be delivered to the science center are electric-green hatchbacks with four doors and room for four riders, but not necessarily four big riders who need legroom. The rear seat folds down offering enough room for groceries but not for lumber, a sofa or even an overstuffed chair. The cars are based on the Ben Ben, a popular Chinese model made by Chang’an Motors.
The acceleration is swift and relatively quiet, but it ends quickly when the car reaches a top speed of 25 m.p.h., a limit imposed by the Federal and state laws. In the future, the science center hopes to change state laws to allow the cars to run as fast as 35 m.p.h.
For now, it’s able to roam freely in the city where the speed limit on most streets is lower.
Electrovaya’s lithium ion batteries recharge from 110-volt outlets in about six to eight hours and, depending on the size, can provide either 60 or 120 miles of travel under optimal conditions. The specifications from Electrovaya suggest that their batteries will continue to store 80 percent to 100 percent of their designed capacity for 1,000 charges — something that may be a challenge for cars stored outside. (Winter cold and summer heat can confound the charging.)
One exhibit at the museum is devoted to electric cars in general, and includes a model filled with cutouts that let everyone see inside. Outside, there are running models.
“We bill ourselves as a ‘please touch’ institution.” said Mr. Reiner. “We want it to be immersive. If there are tactile experiences we feel that people have a better chance of remembering things.”
After a pause, he adds, “Once again, the Altcar fits into that philosophy.”
source: New York Times, by Peter Wayner
