When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness • Hacker News Board

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#11

Post by ebg13 » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 3:26 AM UTC

baroffoos wrote: post #10

braythwayt wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's actually a problem with all modern cars: If the battery dies, the key fob won't open the door. In fact, if the battery dies in the car or the fob, you can't open the door. But, there is a mechanical backup with an ordinary car. In my 2012 Volvo, I can open the driver's door with the mechanical key. If the fob is ded, I can physically insert it and start the car. If the car is also dead, I have to sort that out…

If the battery is flat on the car then you are still pretty much out of luck even if you can get in. The only advantage to being able to open it is to use it as shelter in a emergency situation

> If the battery is flat on the car then you are still pretty much out of luck even if you can get in.

With an EV yes, but not with an ICE. Just keep a jump box in your trunk.

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#12

Post by infectoid » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 3:27 AM UTC

baroffoos wrote: post #10

braythwayt wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's actually a problem with all modern cars: If the battery dies, the key fob won't open the door. In fact, if the battery dies in the car or the fob, you can't open the door. But, there is a mechanical backup with an ordinary car. In my 2012 Volvo, I can open the driver's door with the mechanical key. If the fob is ded, I can physically insert it and start the car. If the car is also dead, I have to sort that out…

If the battery is flat on the car then you are still pretty much out of luck even if you can get in. The only advantage to being able to open it is to use it as shelter in a emergency situation

And having shelter from the rain while you wait for someone to arrive can be a great advantage.

I'm sure there are many other fantastic reasons to want access to your vehicle when the battery is flat.

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#13

Post by mirimir » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 3:35 AM UTC

baroffoos wrote: post #10

braythwayt wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's actually a problem with all modern cars: If the battery dies, the key fob won't open the door. In fact, if the battery dies in the car or the fob, you can't open the door. But, there is a mechanical backup with an ordinary car. In my 2012 Volvo, I can open the driver's door with the mechanical key. If the fob is ded, I can physically insert it and start the car. If the car is also dead, I have to sort that out…

If the battery is flat on the car then you are still pretty much out of luck even if you can get in. The only advantage to being able to open it is to use it as shelter in a emergency situation

That depends on the vehicle. If it's an ICE with a manual transmission, and you can get it moving fast enough, you can pop the clutch to start it. Back in the day, with a ~dead battery, I'd park on a hill. Even without a hill, 2-3 people can generally just push.

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#14

Post by gorgonian » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 3:53 AM UTC

mirimir wrote: post #13

baroffoos wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the battery is flat on the car then you are still pretty much out of luck even if you can get in. The only advantage to being able to open it is to use it as shelter in a emergency situation

That depends on the vehicle. If it's an ICE with a manual transmission, and you can get it moving fast enough, you can pop the clutch to start it. Back in the day, with a ~dead battery, I'd park on a hill. Even without a hill, 2-3 people can generally just push.

And what percentage are manual transmission vehicles these days? Probably less than 1

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#15

Post by awake » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 3:56 AM UTC

i had a similar experience with Turo. The car would lock and unlock with a bluetooth connection and would not start unless the bluetooth connection was made. I went on a fifteen minute hike about an hour off the main road to see a redwood grove and when I got back the app had logged itself out with no action taken on my part. We had to hitchhike for 4 hours back to a hotel so that I could log in using my Google account, then hitch hike back to the car. The car itself was unlocked the entire time because we could not lock it. I wonder if anyone else has had an experience with Turo being logged out. Could a certificate or token have expired?

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#16

Post by nraynaud » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 3:57 AM UTC

gorgonian wrote: post #14

mirimir wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That depends on the vehicle. If it's an ICE with a manual transmission, and you can get it moving fast enough, you can pop the clutch to start it. Back in the day, with a ~dead battery, I'd park on a hill. Even without a hill, 2-3 people can generally just push.

And what percentage are manual transmission vehicles these days? Probably less than 1

90% of southern Europe?

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#17

Post by mirimir » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:02 AM UTC

gorgonian wrote: post #14

mirimir wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That depends on the vehicle. If it's an ICE with a manual transmission, and you can get it moving fast enough, you can pop the clutch to start it. Back in the day, with a ~dead battery, I'd park on a hill. Even without a hill, 2-3 people can generally just push.

And what percentage are manual transmission vehicles these days? Probably less than 1

True. But some of us still like them.

I'm not hard core enough to have a pre-computer vehicle, though.

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#18

Post by macintux » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:02 AM UTC

gorgonian wrote: post #14

mirimir wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That depends on the vehicle. If it's an ICE with a manual transmission, and you can get it moving fast enough, you can pop the clutch to start it. Back in the day, with a ~dead battery, I'd park on a hill. Even without a hill, 2-3 people can generally just push.

And what percentage are manual transmission vehicles these days? Probably less than 1

Some models it’s much higher, but overall definitely single digits in the U.S.

Europe has a much higher take rate on manuals.

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#19

Post by macintux » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:04 AM UTC

awake wrote: post #15

i had a similar experience with Turo. The car would lock and unlock with a bluetooth connection and would not start unless the bluetooth connection was made. I went on a fifteen minute hike about an hour off the main road to see a redwood grove and when I got back the app had logged itself out with no action taken on my part. We had to hitchhike for 4 hours back to a hotel so that I could log in using my Google accou…

I hope you’ve reported that to the app developer. That’s a potentially fatal problem.

Re: When I Took My Zipcar Into the Wilderness

#20

Post by wolrah » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:18 AM UTC

mirimir wrote: post #13

baroffoos wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the battery is flat on the car then you are still pretty much out of luck even if you can get in. The only advantage to being able to open it is to use it as shelter in a emergency situation

That depends on the vehicle. If it's an ICE with a manual transmission, and you can get it moving fast enough, you can pop the clutch to start it. Back in the day, with a ~dead battery, I'd park on a hill. Even without a hill, 2-3 people can generally just push.

> That depends on the vehicle. If it's an ICE with a manual transmission, and you can get it moving fast enough, you can pop the clutch to start it.

This depends on just how dead it is on newer cars.

If it's able to run the electronics but just unable to crank enough to start, this can work. If it's dead enough that you can't unlock the doors it's probably also dead enough that the fuel pump, ECU, etc. aren't going to be able to do their thing.

Carbureted vehicles can be bump started from flat dead for the most part, but EFI and especially direct injected vehicles need some electricity to operate.