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Stella The Solar-Powered Car May Some Day Hit Highways


In A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon Brando sent up that classic agonized cry: Stelllllaaa! According to a recent Yahoo article, seasoned citizen roadies may some day call out the same word just as emotionally. However, it will be in happy admiration as they roll along without ever again needing to fill up at a highway (robbery) gas station.

The Stella experimental prototype seats four, and last year won the World Solar Car challenge race across Australia. It was recently driven successfully the 400 miles along California’s scenic Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

Solar Team Eindhoven, where Stella originated, currently operates from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. The solar-powered cars run on sunlight that is converted and stored in photovoltaic cells.

Unfortunately, you can’t start shopping for one yet. As yet, they’re not more economical than gasoline-powered vehicles. There’s no current info about when they can be mass-produced, pricing, maintenance and other development steps. However, we senior wanderers can all hope Stella will soon answer our mournful cries for economical road travel. www.solarteameindhoven.nl
Hotel room stuff: What's OK to take home? PDF Print E-mail

Hotel lotions

Q: Whenever we stay at a hotel, I take all the little plastic tubes and bottles of body lotions, shampoo and other toilet articles with me when we leave. My husband says that’s stealing? I say it’s there for guests to use and/or take home. Who’s right?
M.J., Buffalo NY

You are absolutely right. Guests are expected to take the little toilet things, whether you use them or not. Hotels print their logos on the containers, and the idea is that whenever you see them, you’ll think about coming back.

Of course, that’s where the taking should stop. There’s the old joke about the thieving guest who complained that the hotel towels were too fluffy and didn’t fit into her suitcase. Towels, sheets, pillow cases, silverware, glassware, electronic gear and other hotel property should not be swiped. In fact, some hotels will check your room after you depart, and if anything valuable is missing, you’ll get an embarrassing bill for its cost.
 
 
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