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Florida Man parks Smart car in kitchen to save it from Hurricane Dorian

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It started as a lighthearted challenge between a Florida couple: Can their Smart car fit into their kitchen? The answer: Yes it can. Patrick Eldridge parked his car inside to protect it from the high winds of Hurricane Dorian — and just to prove that he can. Jessica Eldridge said her car was already parked in the garage. But to secure other things in the garage, her husband proposed to park the car in the house. “I said there was no way he could. He said he could,” Jessica said. “So he opened the double doors and had it in. I was amazed that it could fit. He had it in with no problems.” Dorian skirted FloridaÂ’s coast Wednesday, narrowly missing Jacksonville. On Thursday, Dorian was lashing the Carolinas as a Category 2 storm and was headed to the Outer Banks. Earlier in the week as a Category 5, it devastated the Bahamas, where rescue crews have only begun taking the full measure of the damage. With the car in the middle of the kitchen, Jessica Eldridge had to move around it to cook and serve dinner. “IÂ’m hoping he will pull it out pretty soon once the wind dies down,” she said. “There is room, and itÂ’s not in the way, but my dogs are confused by it.”

Someone is tipping over Car2go Smart ForTwos again

Reportedly, a Car2go ForTwo was tipped over in Seattle on Wednesday, and the Denver police are currently investigating five incidents. "Technically, yeah it is cow tipping, but I'm hoping that it doesn't catch on," says Car2Go customer Daniel Martin from Seattle. "Car tipping" has been a thing ever since microcars became widely available last century. Many a BMW Isetta or a Mini owner left for work only to find their vehicle lifted to another spot or tipped over. In Europe, where plastic-bodied, diesel-engined quadricycles are popular with teenagers too young for a full driver's license, the light vehicles can sometimes be found lying on their roof or on their side – and it's not uncommon for Dutch microcars to end up in the country's numerous canals. Smart cars are especially vulnerable in the eyes of troublemakers, and Car2go ForTwos repeatedly fall victim to night time shenanigans. Multiple vehicles were also damaged during Vancouver's hockey riots in 2011. San Francisco has also had its share of not-so-Smart car vandalism, and the image above shows a car being inspected after a 2014 incident during a "spree" of Fortwo tippings. Car2go says that if your rental car is found not sitting on its wheels, they should be contacted so a solution can be found. Trying to lift a 1,800-pound city car by yourself isn't the kind of morning workout anyone needs. Related Video: Image Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images Auto News Green Weird Car News smart Transportation Alternatives Ownership car2go smart car vandalism fortwo

Smart brand might be doomed

Reports are painting a less than rosy picture of the Smart brand's future. The Daimler-owned carmaker is going fully electric in 2020, but that might not be enough to keep it alive for long. Inside sources, quoted by Automobile Magazine, are saying Renault is likely to pull out of the partnership that created the current Smart ForTwo/Renault Twingo pairing introduced in 2014. The two rear-engined cars share a platform, and when the current Twingo is done for, Renault might want to part ways. In addition, Mercedes isn't willing to prop up Smart on its own, and there is a possibility that the entire Smart brand could be shuttered by 2026. A previous joint venture was the ForFour hatch co-developed with Mitsubishi, and despite the ForFour name living on in the current generation rear-engined car, the earlier FWD hatchback has quickly been forgotten. Not long ago, Smart presented its Forease open-top concept to give customers a glimpse of what future Smart cars would look like, but at its heart the Forease was still a current Smart dressed up with concept car details. The next-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class is to be signed off in 2021 for a 2025 introduction, and it can be underpinned by a more flexible, fully scalable platform that could also serve to support a new entry-level Mercedes-Benz vehicle that could render the separate Smart brand pointless. Then there's Geely, who now owns nearly 10 percent of Daimler, and who is partnering with Daimler to launch a new "premium" ride-hailing venture in China. As Geely develops its mobility solutions, it is likely to keep an eye on Smart: Smart cars have been car-sharing staples around the world for quite a while, from users such as Car2Go. Automobile Magazine says that if a Smart is co-developed with Geely, it might suit the Chinese market well, but a global business case might be challenging. In any case, if Smart wants to survive beyond the current Renault partnership, the new model should be agreed upon quickly, and it must be based on a platform flexible enough to support full electric drive. Reportedly, there are now ongoing feasibility studies for a fully electric Daimler "U-Class," which would include a Smart-like three or five-door hatch with two wheelbase options, a ride-sharing shuttle with autonomous capabilities, and an urban delivery panel van. But Smart must justify itself for the upcoming decades, or the future Daimler products that occupy its niche will be wearing a three-pointed star instead.