No-Speed-Limit Law Rejected by Court

HELENA, MT The state high court has ruled against Montana's no-speed-limit law. In a 4-3 ruling, the state Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional the current requirement that motorists must drive at a "reasonable and proper" speed. Saying that the law fails to fairly warn motorists when they are driving last enough to get a ticket.

Car Navigator Lands Motorists in River

CAPUTH, GERMANY - A German couple out for a Christmas drive ended up in river, apparently because their luxury car's navigation system forgot to mention that they had to wait for ferry. The 57-year-old driver and his passenger were not injured, police said. The couple was out driving when came to a ferry crossing at the Havel River in Caputh, southwest of Berlin. That information was never stored in their car's navigation system. The driver kept going straight in the dark, expecting a bridge, and ended up in the water.

Magellan Teams with Hertz to Provide Navigation Systems

SANTA CLARA, CA Magellan Corporation and the Hertz Corporation will form an exclusive $50 million joint venture that will oversee the expansion and operation of Magellan vehicle navigation system in rental cars throughout the US. Europe, and Canada.

Although specific terms of the agreement have not been disclosed the joint venture will purchase from Magellan 50,000 vehicle navigation and driver information systems. These systems, which utilize "next generation" navigational technology, will be installed this summer in Hertz's fleet, including Lincoln Town Cars and Ford Tauruses. This joint venture will also install, maintain, market, advertise, and set pricing for the new vehicle navigation systems.

Installed in Hertz vehicles under the name of NeverLost, Magellan's "smart car" navigation technology allows users to simply input a local street address or choose from a range of destinations, including hotels, airports, restaurants, and other points of interest. Once the route is set, the unit combines Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology with inertial navigation and map matching technology to precisely locale the vehicle. It uses easy-to-read color icons and easy-to-understand voice commands to direct drivers turn-by-turn to their destination. The new system will offer increased data base coverage and an improved graphical interface over previous Hertz NeverLost systems.

Currently, Hertz offers NeverLost units at over 50 Hertz locations in 35 cities. Cars equipped with the NeverLost navigation system are available at an additional $6 per day. Under the joint venture program, the existing units will be replaced with Magellan's next generation vehicle navigation system.

Electric Vehicle Funding Available for Federal Fleets

WASHINGTON, DC - To encourage the leasing of electric vehicles by federal government fleets, the U.S. Department of Energy will pay 50 percent of the incremental cost of these vehicles. The incremental cost is the difference between the General Service Administration's cost to lease a vehicle powered by a gasoline engine and the additional cost to lease an electric version of the same vehicle.