Wednesday, August 6, 2008

EnviroCAB: Jarringly Pleasant

On my recent trip to Austin for Netroots Nation, I called an enviroCAB for my ride to the airport. Since I don't take cabs very often, this was my first chance to use enviroCAB.

So how was it? In a word, spooky. In a made-up word, spookygreen.

It was completely silent. No engine roar as the hybrid car glided on battery power through the back streets of Ballston. The driver was courteous, well-dressed, and didn't talk on his cell phone or blare the radio. The cab even still had that new-car smell.

Compared to the terrifying experience of riding in a loud smelly cab as it careens through the streets of DC ... no, wait. There's no comparison. EnviroCABbing was a completely different experience than traditional cabbing.

If you don't have it in your cell already, add their number now: (703) 920-3333.

7 comments:

Bryon Powell said...

Thanks for the reminder to put this number in my phone.

Brendan O'Connor said...

was it much more expensive Miles, or not noticeably?

TheGreenMiles said...

All cabs that you board in Arlington County cost the same, regardless of company or type of vehicle. The county mandates the rates.

Brendan O'Connor said...

Hey no way man, good deal, i had no idea! Envirocab it is

Anonymous said...

"It was completely silent. No engine roar as the hybrid car glided on battery power through the back streets of Ballston."

You are confusing enviroCAB's hybrid cars (which feature a gasoline-powered engine AND a battery) with electric cars (which are usually powered solely by battery packs).

Even if your enviroCAB's gasoline engine was running quietly, it's still always running. You weren't running solely on battery power.

A remaining environmental question about hybrids is how to ensure their batteries are safely recycled. And, of course, electric cars are only as clean as the power plant that generates the electricity.

Unknown said...

I LOVE this cab company. They are always prompt and never late. Drivers are always very professional and I love that all of their cars take credit if you need it.

TheGreenMiles said...

Anonymous (if that is your real name), I strongly encourage you to look into how hybrids, like, actually work. They run on battery power and the gas engine kicks in only when more power is needed. When in stop-and-go city traffic, the brakes recapture enough energy that the gas engine can shut down, which is why blind people are worried about getting hit.

Recycling hybrid car batteries isn't a question, it's a must. That's why Toyota goes so far as to pay $200 to buy them back.

You're missing the point about electric cars (or plug-in hybrids). Sure, you might be getting much of the juice from a coal plant (VA gets about 50% of our electricity from coal). But battery-powered cars use their power far more efficiently than 19th-century internal combustion engines, meaning they need less energy to go further, resulting in great cost-savings for the driver and great benefits for the environment.