Get out of the car at AltCarExpo

So all the car-lovers have been e-mailing me to let me know I need to talk about the AltCarExpo this weekend in Santa Monica. Yep, you can visit the Alternative Car and Transportation Expo FREE to check out all things techy, strange and beautiful in the newish world of green cars.

Think "green car" is an oxymoron? You're not alone. Check out the comments on Treehugger's list of top 10 sexiest green cars to hear the tirade of complaints from eco-readers.

But the main complaints aren't so much about cars per se, but about greenwashing (car companies hawking hybrid SUVs as green, even when these cars don't have higher MPGs)  and impracticality (most people can't plunk down $100,000 for a Tesla; most don't ever go 155 mph either).

Give most of these angry greenies a Civic-like sedan with zero emissions and that costs around $30,000, and most of the complaints will go away. Sadly, that hasn't quite happened yet -- though the AltCarExpo should feature a few practical cars that should hit the market next year.

Of course, many -- including myself -- still don't want to deal with the stress of car ownership and want options beyond the car. AltCarExpo has that too, with a bunch of booths and panels on getting people out of their cars.

So take advantage of the free bike valet -- courtesy of the City of Santa Monica's Transportation Management Division -- and check out some fun car-free workshops of note: (all happening Sat., Oct. 20 in the Transportation Tent)

>> “Getting Out of the Box, Moving With Our Feet,” put together by Livable Places and the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition, 10:30 am.

>> "Restructuring Transit in Los Angeles to Respond to the Needs of the Riders," 2:30 pm.

>> "Solving the Transportation Nightmare," put together by SMC, Transportation Coalition & CALPIRG to discuss transportation solutions for the Westside, Santa Monica and the surrounding region, 12:30 pm.

AltCarExpo. Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Air Center, 3021 Airport Ave., Santa Monica. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19 and Saturday, Oct. 20. Free.

Comments

[Jerry Schneider]

There are lots of transportation ideas that can provide high levels of urban mobility that most people don't know about. More than 100 of them are described at the Innovative Transportation Technologies website at: http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans Use the photo index pages for a quick tour. Lots of links are provided for more details

[James]

Check this out, these look cool...

http://www.theaircar.com/