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Rock Your Electric Road Trip with these Essential Items

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There are those who say that when you drive an electric car, it is a less joyous experience than driving a traditional vehicle. Of course, those of us who know and love electric cars know that is anything but true.

 

In fact, driving an electric car, which is powerful, but silent, and fast, yet very clean has to be one of the best experiences there is. Oh, there’s the little matter that they’re much more economical to run, which means you can have more fun in them too! That’s why electric cars are almost perfect for road tripping.

 

Why do I say almost? Because as great as electric cars are, there are a number of gadgets and products that will make any road trip rock more…

 

The CarStations App

 

Probably the most important thing you’ll need if you plan to road trip in an electric car is the CarStations app, or one similar to it. Why? Because although gas stations are aplenty, places where you can easily charge your electric car are still not as abundant as they should be. Having this app, which will let you see where all of the available charging points are will make it much easier for you to have a successful electric road trip experience.

 

A Decent Amplifier

 

Most cars, electric or otherwise, do not come with really rocking sound systems as standard, which is a real shame because everyone knows that the second best thing about being on a road trip – the first being the journey itself -is the road trip playlist. So, if you want to ensure that your road trip truly rocks, check out these car amplifier reviews and ratings and act accordingly. Then, take out your smartphone or mp3 player and start adding some of these classic road trip tracks to your playlist. Bliss!

 

The Minipresso

 

The Minipresso is truly a godsend to the coffee lover who’s on the road. Why? Because it enables you to make a cup of high-quality coffee wherever you are. It’s operated by hand, so you don’t even have to worry about finding somewhere to plug it in – you can just crank it up and get your daily fix, even if you are out exploring in the middle of nowhere.

 

An Emergency Kit

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Unfortunately, road trips don’t always go as smoothly as we would like them to, but as long as you have a decent auto-emergency kit, like the ones sold by AAA, you should be able to deal with most minor problems quickly and effectively. Safety first and all that.

 

Windshield Coating

 

Coating the windshield of your vehicle is a good way of ensuring that you have maximum visibility when you’re out on the road on those less than perfect days when the weather isn’t playing ball. You can purchase it in a portable form, which you can add to your windshield yourself, and which will last for six months if you want to keep costs down and it will really help you to have an easier time when you’re off on the road.

 

Effective Air Fresheners

 

If you and your road trip buddies are going to be spending a lot of time in your car (which you undoubtedly will be on a road trip), and especially if you’re going to be sleeping in there on occasion, then you’re going to want to invest in a few effective car air fresheners. That will help to keep the interior smelling sweet, as will opening the windows and feeling the wind in your hair as often as possible.

 

The Pelican Elite Cooler

 

The Pelican Elite Cooler is the perfect road trip companion because it will keep your snacks and beverages cool and refreshing for as long as ten days, It’s also leak-proof, so you won’t have to worry about it making a mess of your car’s interior.

 

Vacuum Packed Storage Bags

 

If your electric car’s trunk space isn’t as big as you would like, then invest in some vacuum packed storage bags, and you will be able to fit more clothing and provisions into the vehicle than you even though possible. This is good news because you won’t have to wear the same dirty clothes for long, nor will you have to limit yourself to just a handful of practical outfits.

 

Travel Pillows

 

It makes sense to pack travel pillows when you’re heading out on a road trip because, even if you plan to stop at a motel or whatever every night, there could be times when you need to nap between driving or when you simply don’t make it to your planned destination and you need to crash, having travel pillows,and blankets or sleeping bags too, for that matter, in the car will help you to get a more comfortable night’s sleep.

 

A Cell Phone Mount

 

If you don’t want to invest in an expensive GPS system, then simply invest in a cell phone mount that will enable you to safely look at the maps on your cell phone as you drive. Depending on where you’re traveling too, you might want to pay for a specific GPS app to ensure that you can find your way around with ease, but it will likely be much cheaper than having to buy the whole shebang.

 

A Mobile Hotspot

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If you have a cell plan that allows you to tether your cell to other devices, then you can do without this, but if you do not have that capability, then it may well be worth investing in a mobile hotspot that will enable you and your road trip buddies to connect your phones, tablets, computers and any other devices you may need to use during the course of your trip to the world wide web when you’re out in more remote places where you can’t easily find free Wi-Fi or as you’re traveling and therefore unable to connect to one particular source of free Wi-Fi for an extended period of time.

 

Time to hit the road. Have a great time!

4 Surefire Ways To Save Money On Your Car Usage

It’s an inevitable fact of life that you need your car. No matter how much you try and save money by taking lifts with pals, using the good old public transport system and walking once in a while, sometimes only a car will do. A trusty four-wheeled motor also gives you the freedom to go where you want as and when you please. You can drive off the beaten track to find a secluded spot for some downtime, or you can find the quickest route to get to your mom and dads without having to change trains twice before taking a bus across the state.

The world of automotives can be a bit of a minefield. There are a ridiculous amount of cars on the market ranging from the swanky new hybrids that utilize greener and more sustainable technologies to the older, yet more affordable diesel guzzlers. No matter what your vehicle of choice is, you can save money in the way that you use your car. Read on to find out more.

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Buy New… If You Can

One strategy that car dealers swear by is to purchase new off the forecourt. Many people disagree with this stating that the moment you drive your shiny new car away from the dealer, your car has already depreciated in value. While this is true, a new car will give you the reliability and warranty you need to ensure you’re not forking out hundreds or maybe even thousands each year on maintenance. Your brand new vehicle should have at least a three-year warranty meaning that if anything breaks down or stops working during this time, you should get a free replacement. The ability to keep the car for longer before having to trade it in means that you won’t be losing money every time you swap your vehicle. It makes more economic sense to keep a vehicle for six or seven years rather than changing every two to three.

A new car is also safer. They have enhanced features such as side impact bars, computerized technologies that allow you to see behind you and intuitive braking systems that will deploy in the event of a potential accident. Older cars, while they may be cheaper, will have a higher chance of being in rear-end bumps that often mean lawyers like Babcock Partners are called in. Try to mitigate this with a newer, more reliable and safer vehicle.

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Maintenance

There are points in every car owner’s life where it feels like everything’s falling apart at once. Your car’s exhaust might be blowing, the tires threads are near the legal limit, and you need to swap a headlight. In the scheme of things, these are relatively minor outgoings to keep your car running. The bigger issues occur when the drive shafts, cam belt or gearbox need changing. If you have an older vehicle, it can often make more financial sense to purchase a whole new car rather than change a particularly expensive component.

Make sure you check out the manual of your car and complete all of the basic maintenance checks. Change the oil filters when necessary, get your car serviced at the correct intervals and always have good grippy tires on your vehicle. This can make your car more fuel efficient saving you money on gas. By keeping your car well looked after you’ll receive a premium price when you do eventually trade in.

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Common Sense

If you have a particularly busy day ahead of you ferrying the kids to swimming lessons, doing a spot of grocery shopping, checking in on the parents and popping to the library to hand back some books, make sure you’re sensible with your car usage. It makes sense to combine these tasks into one car journey rather than heading home after each one. Try to formulate a route that is the quickest and uses the least miles saving you money on fuel.

When obtaining the all-important insurance for your car, you need to shop around and not accept the first offer you’re given. Even if you’ve been with the same insurance provider for years, there’s no reward for loyalty. If you can save $200 by changing your provider and the cover is like for like then swap.

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How You Drive

You may be one of those human beings that loves nothing better than accelerating through the gears quickly and reaching the speed limit as fast as you can. While this may get you to your destination a fraction faster, you’ll also be consuming more fuel as your speed demon ways rattle up through the gears too quickly. Keep your acceleration at a more average pace to save more money on gas.

Although the thought of car sharing can make you break out in cold sweats as you might need to relinquish the driving duties once in a while, you could be cutting down your car running costs massively. If you carpool with a work colleague and share driving and car duties, you’ll logically be cutting down your fuel expenditure and car usage by half. This makes fantastic monetary sense. You’ll also be doing your admirable little bit for the environment as one less car will be on the road during rush hour traffic.

It goes without saying, but you should be driving sensibly and be the epitome of a responsible driver. Don’t allow yourself to be drawn into roadside arguments, don’t allow your frustrations with other road users lead you to drive erratically and keep to the laws of the land. Simply by using your common sense, you can save money on the roads.

While driving may be an expensive business, there are ways you can cut the costs of your car usage. Car ownership is necessary for millions, but this doesn’t mean you have to forego a decent quality of life to maintain a decent vehicle. Utilize some of these tips to ensure that you remain a thrifty, money-conscious car owner.

Tesla wants some of that money too.

With loans to the Big 3 all but signed for, Tesla Motors feels they deserve a piece of the government handout pie. Tesla’s Vice President of Business Development, Diarmuid O’Connell, blogged about how it was a bad idea for the Big Three to get money that had been set aside in the December 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), specifically Section 136. Section 136 set up the Advanced Technology Vehicles Loan Program (ATVMLP), and Tesla opposed taking money that was supposed to make cars cleaner and instead use it to just keep the Big Three operating.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk told the Detroit Free Press that if the electric car maker doesn’t get a $350 million loan from the government, then the Model S will be delayed and San Jose plant won’t open. Musk said that with $350 million, Tesla could sell 20,000 electric sedans a year by 2011. “We can’t move forward with that without a major amount of capital,” said Musk. “If we don’t get any government funding, then what we need to do is we need to wait until the capital markets recover, which could be a year or two years from now.”

I sure hope the government does the right thing by helping a company with a proven track record of providing energy efficient vehicles. Sadly, the way things are moving right now, this will probably not happen soon enough.

Sources: Detroit Free Press, Autobloggreen