Forget car sharing, University of Washington to provide electric bikes

If even the thought of the emissions from a shared hybrid car makes your skin crawl, than the University of Washington campus may be the place for you. Beginning in the fall of 2008 the school will offer a vehicle sharing service on campus. However, unlike the cars and crossovers typically offered by services like ZipCar and FlexCar, U-W will be setting up electric bicycles. Four stations will be set up across campus with a total of forty electric bicycles that can be used in a manner similar to programs in Paris and other European cities. A still undetermined fee will be paid by students and staff who want to participate in the program. When participants need to get somewhere, they can grab a bike from one of the charging stations and return it when they're finished. The bikes themselves will have a twenty-five mile range on a full charge.
[Source: Seattle Times]