On even the most tastefully appointed of houses, garage doors tend to be drab and monochrome eyesores, designed apparently without even the smallest nod to aesthetics. A German company aims to change all that, however, with large-scale posters that transform the doors through highly realistic 3D images.

Style-your-garage.com's photo tarpaulins are available with a variety of motifs and images that are sure to cause neighbours, friends and passers-by to stop and stare. A photographic version of trompe l'oeil, some are designed to give the impression that unusual contents can be found in the garage, such as an airplane, race car or monster-sized kitty. Others aim to provide a glimpse of the world beyond the garage door, such as a Tuscan landscape or what seems to be the home's very own golf course. Another series, meanwhile, aims to give the garage door itself another look altogether, such as through a rustic wooden appearance. Consumers can also upload the digital image of their choice and have it turned into a customised photo tarpaulin. In fact, Style-your-garage.com invites consumers to submit ideas for new designs as well, and promises a share of the profits if their idea gets accepted. The company's posters are designed primarily for up-and-over garage doors but can be adapted for sectional or wing doors as well. Crafted from material similar to that used for truck tarpaulins, they are rip-proof, weather-proof and even come with a fire safety certificate. Special promotional pricing through the end of this month is EUR 169 for all but the customised styles.

Coming soon from Munich-based Style-your-garage.com are Style-your-window.com and Style-your-door.com. One—or two, or three—to get in on early...? (Related: Parking garages transformed by large-scale ads — Sticky car art with a crowdsourcing twist.)

Website: www.style-your-garage.com
Contact: info@style-your-garage.com

Spotted by: Katherine Noyes

Late last year we wrote about the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's pilot program to offer free car charging in its parking garage, and now a brand-new McDonald's restaurant about to open in North Carolina will be the chain's first in the nation to offer the same thing.

The new restaurant in Cary—opening this week—will be North Carolina's first "green" McDonald's, and it aims to become gold-certified under the LEED standard. Both the interior and exterior of the restaurant have been designed with sustainability in mind. More than 95 percent of the wood used in construction, for example, comes from forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, while tables and decor incorporate rapidly renewable materials such as sunflower seed board, wheat board, bamboo and kirei board. Solatubes inside provide quality natural light, while lighting fixtures automatically adjust to changing light conditions. All components used inside are free of urea and formaldehyde, while vinyl is PVC-free and all paints, adhesives, coatings and sealants are low-VOC. The kitchen and bathrooms, meanwhile, are designed to minimize the use of water. Perhaps most interesting of all, there will be preferred parking spaces for hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles, along with ChargePoint stations offering free electricity for plug-in cars. Two such stations will be available at the restaurant's launch, according to The News & Observer.

It's not entirely clear whether a 30-minute meal offers enough time to charge a vehicle adequately, as HybridCars points out. Nevertheless, plans are afoot to install charging stations at McDonald's locations in Sweden as well, the publication reported, and there seems little doubt that as adoption of electric vehicles increases, there will be demand for charging stations in convenient spots around the globe. Embrace such technology early, and you boost your eco-credentials; offer it as a free perk, and you could win eco-minded consumers' hearts, minds and dollars! ;-)

Website: www.mcnorthcarolina.com/7501/
Contact: www.mcnorthcarolina.com/7501/contact/comments

Spotted by: HybridCars.com via Judy McRae

Europcar is teaming up with Nissan to offer electric vehicles for hire. Low emission rental vehicles are nothing new for Europcar (or many other rental agencies, for that matter); models such as the Toyota Prius have been part of its 225,000 strong fleet for years. However, it seems to be the first time that a rental company and car manufacturer are jointly offering a design that’s not just low emission, but no emission.

After introducing electric versions of existing models, Nissan plans to develop entirely new models that will be made available through Europcar. The company hopes to offer a wide range of zero-emission vehicles at all the usual rental locations like airports, train stations and local kiosks by the end of 2010. Besides helping Europcar stand apart from other rental companies and providing Nissan with a guaranteed market for a large number of electric vehicles, the alliance will give consumers the opportunity to try out an unfamiliar product in a real-world setting. (Related: Europcar lists CO2 emissions on customer invoices.)

Website: www.europcar.com
Contact: www.europcar.com/EBE/module/render/Contact-Us

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

Showing customers the environmental impact of driving, French car rental company Europcar now lists CO2 emissions for its rental cars. The information can be found both on the company’s website, and on customer invoices, allowing conscientious drivers to take emissions into account when choosing a rental car, as well as reminding them after the fact. Customers are also offered the chance to offset their emissions via a collaboration with Climate Care. Instead of planting trees, Climate Care assists with the development of renewable fuel sources and more efficient systems—arguably a more effective way of tackling carbon emissions than planting trees.

Europcar’s CO2 information is currently available to customers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, with Australia to follow soon. An easy improvement would be to add a quick guide to help users put those emission numbers into context. As consumers become more aware of their impact on the environment, they’ll increasingly demand information that will help them make better choices. More on that from our sister-site trendwatching.com—check out their thoughts on eco intel.

Website: www.europcar.com/CO2-Emissions
Contact: www.europcar.com/EBE/module/render/Contact-Us

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

If ever there's been a company we've enjoyed watching evolve over time, it's fast-moving Zipcar, whose frequent innovations since we first covered it back in 2003 have warranted fresh coverage on our pages on numerous occasions. The latest? Just announced on Monday, Zipcar now has its very own iPhone application.

Created through a partnership between Apple and Zipcar, the new application will allow users of Zipcar's car-sharing service to use their iPhones to find, reserve and unlock vehicles. Specifically, the application puts the iPhone's GPS to work in locating the closest Zipcars, indicating them with coloured pushpins on a map; users can then use it to reserve the vehicle they want. Once they're close to their vehicle, the technology will even beep the horn of the reserved Zipcar and unlock it. A video on CNET from the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, where the technology was announced, demonstrates the application in action. The software will be available as a free download from the Apple App Store later this summer, Zipcar says. (Back in 2007, Zipcar launched a less fully-featured application for GPS-enabled cellphones that helps members pinpoint the nearest available car.)

More than 25 percent of Zipcar members say their "life is on their iPhone," according to Zipcar CTO Luke Schneider, so tapping the brand clearly makes good sense from a practical perspective. In addition, however, it's also a prime example of what our sister site would call a brand butler offering—something extended by a familiar name, that helps to make consumers' lives easier and more enjoyable. How can *your* brand "drive" customers to new heights of satisfaction...? ;-)

Update 29 Sept 2009 | The free Zipcar App is now available from the iTunes app store. "Like so many urban dwellers today, more than 25 percent of Zipcar members live their life from their iPhones," said Scott Griffith, Zipcar chairman and CEO. "The new Zipcar App is a simple, fun and self-service technology that now allows millions of iPhone and iPod touch users to have on-the-go access to Zipcars around the globe."

Website: www.zipcar.com/iphone
Contact: info@zipcar.com

Spotted by: Ruben Feith