A number of years ago I worked as an OTR driver. Had to go to Long Island, New York for a delivery. Wanted to spend the night, but idling for the air conditioner was by then illegal. So we had to leave and fight afternoon traffic as staying in a furnace like cab wasn't an option.
Might have been different if we were rich New York mayors. I would really suffer the fate of a lowly working stiff than become anything like a New York mayor.
Stupid Mayor Tricks: Bloomberg Pimps His SUV With Window A.C. Unit
In April 2009, Mayor Bloomberg signed a bill giving NYC the toughest laws against vehicular idling, with stiff fines for repeat offenders. Three months later, AP reporters caught the mayor repeatedly flouting the law, with his chauffeur and security detail sometimes leaving their engines running for an hour while waiting for the mayor. Bloomberg had to apologize, but ever since he's presumably had a team of engineers working around the clock to come up with a solution to keep his SUV cool when he's not in it. Well, they finally had a major breakthrough, and yesterday they did some beta-testing!
As you can see from these photos obtained by the NY Post, they're experimenting with a high-tech solution that will enable the mayor to step into a pre-chilled, hypocrisy-free SUV. To be honest, the science at work here is beyond our primitive understanding, but to put it in layman's terms, it seems engineers have connected what appears to be a standard residential A.C. unit onto the rear window of Bloomberg's SUV. Then, using a complicated series of "extension cords" and—no doubt—some sort of nuclear fusion, the A.C. unit will be "plugged in" to an electrical power source.
At press time, it was unclear how many miles of extension cord the mayor will need to conduct official business within the five boroughs, but clearly this innovation will be an enormous boon for New York's troubled extension cord industry. (Rumors that Bloomberg was sourcing the extension cords from Malaysian sweatshops could not be confirmed.) Speaking to the Post, Bloomberg's spokesman said yesterday was just an experiment, adding that "there is far less emissions corresponding to the power of a single air conditioner on the grid than idling a V-8 engine." And by attaching colorful plastic ribbons to the AC's vents, Bloomberg's backseat is bound to be far more festive!
gothamist
No comments:
Post a Comment