Spotted this relatively old (published in Oct 18, 2016) but fascinating podcast story about Uber’s battle with its Chinese’s rival Didi Chuxing for marketshare (via Bloomberg):
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/288743921″ params=”color=ff5500″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Also you can read the related article here.
The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has already been abuzz with so many cool innovations targeting the transportation market.. here is one of the coolest gadget and it comes with three wheels from the famed stables of a Japanese OEM.. Say hello to the Toyota i-Road concept. Check out the Verge doing a test drive of this cool two-seater around a parking lot and offer his 2 cents worth. As Josh noted, this would make for a perfect commuter vehicle, especially for those congested urban areas.
Originally debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013, this battery operated beauty is a hybrid between a car and a motorcycle and rolls on three wheels.. Gizmag notes that the i-Road is an electric personal mobility vehicle with two in-line seats, that leans into the corners like a motorcycle. With only five horsepower, a top speed of 45 km/h (30 mph), and a range of 50 km (30 mi), the i-Road is aimed squarely at an urban transport market.
Whether you are an Armani-wearing CEO of a company or a khaki-clad clerk building spreadsheets, we all prefer a little bit of comfort when we travel. For some of us tired of traveling via the commercial airlines after enduring the hassles of a long check-in lines and TSA checkpoints, the alternative could be charter jets. Gone are the days when chartered jets are meant for the moneyed class. Today anyone can rent airplanes by the hour and travel quickly and conveniently. Of course, the price of travel is a bit higher compared to the commercial aviation options but none of the conventional air travel services can even come close to what is offered by the charter jets in terms of flexibility, comfort and ease.
Let’s first understand how it works. Airplane charters work very much the same way as car sharing services like ZipCar that allow you to rent cars by the hour via the internet. If you are a big city resident, you may have already seen/used car sharing services like ZipCar that allow you to rent cars by the hour via the internet. All you need is an account with the rental company and you can instantly make reservations over a smartphone/ computer whenever you need to rent a car. Once you finish using the car, you can return them to the nearest station and walk away. Airplane charters work very much the same way. Companies like JetCharters have made it quite easy for today’s wired traveler that he/she can now book chartered flights (sign up for an account when you are on the website) over the phone or via the internet using a smartphone/tablet/computer, very much like booking a car. Travelers arriving at the site are presented a simplified interface that requires trip information such as trip type, number of passengers, departure and destination airports of choice, preferred time and date for departure/arrival.
Travelers don’t have to always book a round trip flight. Based on the needs and affordability, a traveler can book a one way trip or a multi-leg trip stopping over in various airports. The hourly rate is dependent on the aircraft class. Aircraft hourly rates are dependant on aircraft size. There are three common size classes, based on cabin dimensions: light or small jets, mid-size or medium jets, heavy or full-size jets (and not to forget the air ambulances). JetCharters, one of the market leaders in the business, offers a wide selection of aircrafts ranging from small jets like a Beechjet400 (seating for six or seven passengers) to large jets like Gulfstream Legacy 600 and even a full-sized Boeing737 that can accommodate up to 172 passengers. An additional offering available under this service is the air-ambulance which could be very useful for transporting passengers with medical conditions.
So, how much it typically cost to rent an airplane by the hour? According to Chief Executive Air light jets typically cost around $2,500 per flight hour, mid-size jets cost around $3,200 per flight hour and heavy jets cost on average $4,500 per hour and up. In addition to flight charges, the charterer is responsible for all charges incurred during the trip, including over-night charges, landing fees, International fees (if you are traveling outside the country), catering and flight-phone usage. One of the leading companies in the market, Planemasters, has taken out all the hassles and published a simple matrix showing the hourly rates for each type of plane they have on fleet. If you would like to get smart about the details of chartering costs for a typical trip, I recommend that you check this blog.
Source: Planemasters.com
Charter jets workout much cheaper if you are traveling with a group because the cost you are paying for renting a particular aircraft can be divided per passenger. Let’s say if you are planning to fly a large group, say 10, of your friends/family to a wedding in Vegas (or a board meeting in Los Angeles) and the whole thing costs you $20,000. If you work the calculator, you can easily figure out that it costs only $2000 per person, which might be slightly more than what each of you would have paid for a first class ticket. Now, how often can you have the whole plane for just you and your wedding party? And when you have it why not get the fun started before you even arrive at your destination. One of the major and attractive features of charter jets is the ability to arrive at even the hard to reach small towns without having to worry about catching connecting planes and missing baggage.
Often, small towns and communities are not conveniently located near a large airport, but air charters opens up more travel options with smaller airports across the region. Another benefit to choosing an operator through JetCharters is that there are no repositioning fees and travelers only pay for the distance they travel (ImagineAir and Kavoo are just two of the many licensed operators offering travel options through JetCharters.com). Also, air charters can be a great way to travel shorter distances while avoiding busy highways and roadways and it offers an increased amount of flexibility with travel schedules. Planemasters, a Chicago jet charter company that is one of the largest executive charter companies in the entire Midwest, sums it up nicely on its website showing what you get for your $$ – service, flexibility, freedom, and control. You can bet every traveler on this planet would like to the sound of “We’re on Your Schedule.”
In today’s uber-connected world where people even rent out their spare bedrooms by the day (i.e., AirBnB), it doesn’t come as a surprise that some of these individual jet owners are renting out their jets they bought for personal use. Instead of parking it at an airport and using it occasionally to fly to a meeting or a family get together, private aircraft owners can rent out their airplanes via JetCharter by signing up as operators. So, an aircraft owner can make significant chunk of change instead of having it parked in a hanger and collecting dust.
NetJets come to India…. (Photo credit: Mark D. Martin India)
Chartered planes business is fast expanding and is considered one of the hottest sectors for many investors. With a squeezed out commercial aviation network and a congested surface transportation system that is barely meeting the demand, many business travelers are looking at chartered jet travel as a viable alternative, partly because of the flexibility, convenience and swiftness. You know a business is hot when investment guru Warren Buffet swoops in with his war chest and buys private jet operator. Looking at the demand and the potential for massive growth in this global market, Mr. Buffet’s company Berkshire Hathaway bought Net Jets, which sells partial ownership interests in business jets, about a decade ago. More recently NetJets announced plans to spend up to $9.6 billion on as many as 425 new planes, which should be a good indicator for how much demand is there for these jets.
Doesn’t matter how we analyze it, commercial airline services are no match for the convenience of a chartered plane . Imagine arriving at private terminal with our friends after avoiding crowded security lines of commercial airports and boarding the jet that are awaiting your party, eating & drinking whatever you like (i.e., catered food and not that stale over-priced sandwich you are used to). Wouldn’t that be a great way to get things rolling for that wedding in Las Vegas or that weekend in Bahamas?
**This blog post was sponsored by Straight North and JetCharters**
Source: The Economist
Car-sharing programs have been gaining a lot of popularity and building up momentum over the years, especially in urban environments such as Washington, DC, NYC, etc. The Economist has done a good coverage of the growing trend and here are some of the interesting nuggets that caught my attention:
Car-sharing started in Europe and spread to America in the late 1990s, when the first venture opened in Portland, Oregon, a traditional hangout of tree-huggers. For years it was organised by small co-operatives, often supported by local government. It still has a green tinge. One in five new cars added to club fleets is electric; such cars are good for short-range, urban use. But sharing is no longer small.
Frost & Sullivan, a market-research firm, estimates that by 2016 the market will be worth $6 billion a year, half of that in America, with a total of some 10m users. Outside America, most of the growth is in Britain and other north European countries such as Germany. The market leader is a company called Zipcar, founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is now headed for a public listing. Zipcar already has 400,000 members, mostly in America where it is thought to have 80% of the market. It recently bought Streetcar, the market leader in London, though competition authorities are still scrutinising that deal.
The sharing trend is now seeping into another prominent area of transportation – the bicycles. Many cities around the world, including London and Washington, DC, are beginning to install innovative bike-sharing programs that offer a great advantage for those who prefer to check the city by biking than by driving. Looks like the “sharing” trend is only going to intensity in the years ahead given the state of our poor economies and shrinking wallets! the societal, ecological and environmental benefits resulting from such sharing schemes are definitely a big plus for many more cities to consider implementing such schemes for car as well as bikes. After all didn’t we already know the saying “Sharing is Caring”.
Click here to read the entire article.
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(Source: Autoblog green)
Image Courtesy: Autobloggreen
If nothing else, the big news of the day is that your iPhone can now make cars honk. The key fob would, of course, work just as well, but it’s not as flashy as using your phone.
The horn honking feature is part of the newly-released Zipcar App, which makes finding, reserving and controlling your Zipcar possible through the iPhone (and, over WiFi, the iPod touch). The app wont’ be able to unlock any car in the system – you still need to scan your Zipcard to start the reservation; only then is the app able to honk that horn. The App is free and available now in iTunes. You can take a tour here.
(Source: Baltimore Sun, New York Times & Wired)
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon smiles after test-driving a Maya 300 electric car outside the Maryland Science Center Tuesday, June 23, 2009 in Baltimore. ExxonMobil and Electrovaya, a manufacturer of electric car battery systems, announced an all-electric car-sharing program Tuesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/ Steve Ruark -via Baltimore Sun)
The nation’s first all-electric car-sharing program debuted in Baltimore, Maryland this week. The nation’s first all-electric car-sharing program debuted Tuesday at the city’s Inner Harbor, with manufacturer Electrovaya hoping urban residents seeking to go green and curious tourists will take the concept for a spin. Electrovaya Inc. is offering its Maya 300 for rent at the Maryland Science Center. The car can go up to 120 miles on one charge of its lithium-ion battery system, and it gets its juice from a regular 110-volt outlet.
The altcar car-sharing service has a fleet of 10 electric cars at the Maryland Science Center. Ten cars will be available starting Wednesday through the new car-sharing Web site Altcar.org. A two-hour trip costs $29, with discounts for science center members. (Wired reports that the cars won’t be available to the public until Aug. 1). Signing up requires a $25 application fee to pay for the background check and a $50 membership fee.
Image Courtesy: AltCar.org
This rental program gives Baltimore residents and tourists the opportunity to rent a five-door, five- passenger Maya-300 at the Maryland Science Center and drive it around the city. The car makes little noise, provides dashboard gauges for battery life and temperature, and offers other conveniences of gas-powered cars. Electrovaya’s battery technology is made possible by ExxonMobil Corp.’s battery separator film. The film, with lithium-ion batteries, allows for the units to operate at higher temperatures with a reduced risk of meltdown.
“This is an example of what science centers do best,” said Van Reiner, president and CEO of the science center. “We are showcasing new technology, and that’s what makes us so excited.”
The manufacturer calls the fleet of emission-free cars a “game changer” in urban transportation alternatives. Electrovaya CEO Sankar Das Gupta said that’s because the vehicle has the look and feel of a four-door, gas-powered sedan and should appeal to consumers who want to reduce oil dependence.
Das Gupta said he hopes to ink deals with larger fleet operators to scale up production of the Maya 300, which is currently manufactured in Michigan. He hopes to begin selling the vehicle to the general public within a year for about $25,000 apiece.
“Ultimately, in order to drop the price of electric cars, you have to generate large volumes,” explained Das Gupta, who said the lithium-ion battery his company makes constitutes 40-50 percent of the Maya 300’s cost.
In addition to manufacturing and selling the Maya 300, Electrovaya would supply major automakers lithium-ion batteries — which move lithium between an anode and cathode when charging and discharging. Das Gupta declined to say with whom he is discussing such an arrangement.
The Maya 300’s debut came as President Obama and his advisers dished out $8 billion in loans to Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Tesla Inc through DOE grants. “We have an historic opportunity to help ensure that the next generation of fuel-efficient cars and trucks are made in America,” Obama said.
More than 50 million new vehicles hit the world’s roads each year, and President Obama has set a goal of 1 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015.
Electrovaya’s Das Gupta is bullish on America’s — and the world’s — ability to achieve the Obama’s goal.
“We expect that within the next few years, one third of these vehicles will be electric,” he said.
Click here to read the entire article.
(Source: Washington Examiner & Washington Post)
A car-sharing program intended to save Montgomery County money has ended up costing $1,300 per hour of driving.
The county paid more than $100,000 for the program, which was used just 16 times in 3 1/2 months. As of April 24, the 28 cars have been used fewer than 84 hours since the pilot program began in January.With the county paying Enterprise Rent-A-Car a flat rate of $1,100 a month for each hybrid and subcompact car, the county has essentially been paying more than $1,300 an hour to use the cars.
By contrast, the private car-sharing program Zipcar charges drivers in the area less than $10 an hour to rent a car on a weekday. Even better, taking a ride in a luxury sedan costs $60 an hour, according to a local limousine company.
Only two departments in the county administration have used the program thus far (Department of Transportation and Dept. of Technology Services).
County officials said the slow start was because of county employees’ reluctance to give up their own county-assigned vehicles. But with plans to take away 100 “underutilized” vehicles, more employees should start using the car-share program and make it pay off, said Millie Souders, the county’s Fleet Management Services’ division chief.
“People have been reluctant to sign up for and use them only because of what they’ve had available to them in the past,” Souders said. “I have all the confidence in the world that everybody will start using these vehicles and we will have to expand the number of car shares.”
She added that the car-sharing program would help the county avoid having to replace 90 cars in its fleet this year, which would save the county $1.5 million.
County Council members are considering cutting the car-sharing program from 28 cars to 18 but have indicated that they support its concept.
“We talked about reducing the car-share program in part because it wasn’t being utilized, not because we don’t support it,” said Council Vice President Roger Berliner, D-Potomac/Bethesda. “It just was having growing pains.”
TransportGooru Musings:
Looks like the County has taken acute from the County Executive,Mr. Ike Leggett who spent nearly $500,000 of tax payer dollars towards his security detail last year. Wait! This gets better. It is not the only time the county executive has been in the news for lavishing tax payer dollars on himself. He has come under fire before. Last year it was over a $65,000 bathroom, complete with a shower in his work place paid from tax payer dollars. Then, his security detail said using a public restroom would expose him to danger.
Oh, if that makes you wonder whether Montgomery County is somewhere near Baghdad or Kabul, Afghanistan, you are wrong. It is just outside Washington, DC, the capital of the free world and it is definitely not the most dangerous place on earth that warrants building a toilet @ $65,000 inside an Government-owned building. For the financially bent minds, all this madness is happening when the County is exploring ways to trim a budget deficit of $500 million. How about that for a fine example of financial management!
