Electric Cars and Faster Trains in Spain than in France

The city of Paris, under the auspices of Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, has signed a contract with Bolloré, producers of the BlueCar, to have 3000 electric cars on the Paris’s streets by the end of 2011. In the same way as you can currently rent a bike, you’ll be able to hire a car and park it at one of the 1,000 parking and recharging stations in the city and suburbs. The 3.65 meter long three-seater vehicles are virtually silent, produce no pollution and give off no CO2, but cost more than conventional-fuel cars to manufacture and to buy. The cars have a range of 250 kilometers in cities and a maximum speed of 130 kilometers. Higher speeds will diminish the range. Performance is from 0 to 60 kph in 6.3 seconds. Initially, it will cost €15 per month for a subscription and there will be a €5 per hour rental fee. Parking at the charging stations will be free. Paris’s Mayor states the new service will revolutionize transport within the city, in the same way Zip-Cars have done in some locations in the U.S. Other cities in France will be offering short-term rental cars and Hertz is considering getting into the business. More news: Spain is overtaking France as Europe’s high-speed rail leader with the opening of a high-speed line between Madrid and Valencia. The 272 mile-long trip (438 kilometers) will take only 90 minutes. With Spain’s high-speed train service, known as Alta Velocidad Espanola (AVE), the trains have noses shaped like a duck-billed platypus and travel at speeds of up to 190 miles per hour (300 kph). There are plans to extend the routes. The race is on and will surely be a boon to tourism. Why not sit back and enjoy the countryside rather than drive or spend time in airports? (c) Paris New Media, LLC [email protected] Readers are constantly asking me for authentic and out of the ordinary experiences when they come to Paris. Experience Paris – our newest travel partner – can arrange unique experiences in Paris and throughout France. When you contact Larry, please say, “Karen sent you” and use the code BJ001. Take trips, not chances. For peace of mind each and every time you travel, enroll for MedjetAssist evacuation services. If you’re coming to France (or for that matter anywhere) you can reserve your hotel here. To rent a car, Bonjour Paris recommends Auto Europe.