AltCarExpo: Bikes, scooters, and not-yet-ready automobiles
So I valet-parked my bike at AltCarExpo to discover that -- if one is not particularly interested in concept cars, car expos are not very interesting.
I mean, I'm a pragmatic driver, I guess -- Cars to me are simply there to get people from place to place. So for me, a good altcar is one that's 1) available now (sorry, Chevy Volt and other concept cars), 2) able to go everywhere regular cars go (sorry, medium speed vehicles that aren't allowed on the freeway), and 3) not prohibitively expensive (sorry Tesla, etc.).
As far as I can tell, what best fits those criteria at this time is the plug-in hybrid. You know, the hybrid cars that are converted to run on electricity too. Converting your Prius will mess up your warranty, but the practice is getting more and more popular -- which perhaps is why Plug in America, an organization that advocates for plug-ins, had a big crowd around it whenever I went by.
Still, all sorts of electric, hydrogen, propane, natural gas and biodiesel cars were on display for ogling and test driving.
Then there were uncategorizable booths: A waterless carwash company, a green moving company, and -- very oddly -- Farmers' Insurance.
Bicycles got their own section too! The L.A. County Bicycle Coalition and C.I.C.L.E. -- both bike advocacy groups -- took out booths, as did Bikerowave, a Santa Monica group that helps bikers fix their own bikes, and Orange 20 Bikes, a Silver Lake indie bike shop.
Not too interested in test drives, I wandered around a bit aimlessly, talked to my friend Ron about bringing more LACBC activities to the Westside, then met Jennifer Klauser (left), executive director of the LACBC, to chat about the same --
Then I dug out my bike valet ticket from the bottom of my purse and with that happy "I didn't have to pay for parking" feeling, rode away merrily -- until I hit a steep-ish hill and had to walk :P
More pictures here. Missed it? The Third Annual AltCarExpo is already in the works for Sept. 19 and 20, 2008.
Photos by Siel
