[Critique Group 1] Submission for Group 1 10/25/17 critique session

[sitting.duck at springmail.com]

This month's submission was prompted by an article I read in MIT Technology Review and some research I did on the internet. Note that thecar being driven by Jake is not one of the electric cars currently on the market. It is a prototype that attempts to create a car that can recharge the battery without having to be pluged into an external power source.

1452 words
Go Greenish
by C. S. Boyd

Sprinkles of rain dotted the windshield of the electric car as Jake backed out of the driveway. He considered taking the old reliable gas powered machine instead. Glancing at the battery indicator, he saw that the battery had charged some before the clouds had blocked the sun, and decided to go ahead. It's just a short trip, there should be enough power in the battery. Even in the rain, the wind turbine should pick up enough wind in the stop and go traffic of city driving to put energy back into the battery. It would be a good test of the prototype's design. He straightened up on the road  and headed for the post office.
The light at the intersection turned red just seconds before he arrived. Now, the rain was coming down in sheets. He could hear the little wind turbine whine periodically as gusts of wind buffeted the little vehicle. Each time the energy gage moved up a little as electricity was pumped into the battery. 
He saw the amber light for the other side come on and pressed down firmly on the accelerator pedal as soon as the light changed. He started forward slowly. With luck it would pick up enough speed to make it through the light before it changed. He could already hear the gas guzzlers behind him honking.
What had he been thinking? Traffic would be heavy at this time of day and his slow starts would anger drivers in a hurry to get wherever they were going. Take the electric. Do the energy responsible thing. Do the planet a favor, he thought bitterly. Right, and screw yourself. 
Then he heard a thump and felt a little jolt. "What tha...?" He looked in his rear view mirror. All he could see was grill. He began to pick up speed as the vehicle behind him shifted to the next gear and continued pushing him along. His eyes forward, all he could do was steer. He was turning left in a lane that could turn or go straight. Maybe the truck was going straight and would go on as soon as he was out of the way. But, that wasn't in the cards. The little engine whirred bravely, but was unable to pull away from the deasil engine behind him that was continuing to pick up speed and push him faster and faster in front of it. Panic surged through him. He knew there was no point in trying to break. That brute probably wouldn't even notice. It might even just roll over him like he was a speed bump. 
He had used the electric because it was a very short trip. Just down the street and around the corner to the post office. He would need to slow down and turn in the drive way to the parking lot.  There was no way he could make the turn at this speed and the truck was continuing to push him ahead of it faster and faster.
He could see the turn in coming up and to further complicate things, the light at the corner was red and a steady stream of cars was crossing in front of him
A blast from the truck horn almost made him wet himself. The horn sounded again. Clearly the driver had no intention of stopping or even slowing down. Jake closed his eyes and prepared to meet his maker. Seconds passed, but the expected crash didn’t happen. He opened his eyes.  He was through the light and veering a little to the right. He corrected his trajectory just in time to avoid hitting the curb along the side of the street. He glanced  down at the dash. They were going 50 mph. He looked up and began to concentrate on steering while he wondered what to do next.
One good thing, At this speed the wind was spinning the turbine at top speed. He eased his foot off the accelerator. Since he was being pushed along, the little engine was not using power and the energy generated by the turbine was going into the battery. Luckily the upcoming lights turned green just in time. It was clear that the truck driver had no intention of stopping for anything. Soon they came to the long stretch of this road that had no lights. The speed here was 50mph. He looked down at the dash, they were going 70. Jake felt a new fear. He had never been a person who drove fast. He always obeyed the speed limit and it had been decades since the speed limit had been 70.  Would the car even hold together at this speed. Typically it never got over 28mph.
Time passed and he concentrated on steering while desperately trying to figure out what to do.
This road, he knew, intersected with an eight lane interstate. Was this guy going to plow through that like he had the others? As they approached the light, an idea came to him. Maybe he could just slide into the right turn lane allowing the truck to go on by, and this nightmare would be over. As he began his plan, he heard the truck start to gear down and they began slowing, and the truck continuing to stay on his bumper turned into the right turn lane right behind him. 
Jake looked in the rear view mirror at the ominous grill. What is it with this guy? Is he some kind of homicidal maniac?
He was committed now, though. The turn was coming up and he cruised around the corner much faster than he liked but still on all four wheels. The grill followed and he felt a bump as the huge bumper made contact again.
The driver geared up again increasing speed and soon they were again rocketing down the road at break neck speed.
Jake had visions of himself and his crumpled car being found in some farmer's back pasture. 
A green sign on the right read "Southside Memorial Hospital 1 mile." He remembered that drive way. It was wide and with luck he could turn into it even at high speed. He might turn over but anything was better than the suicide trip he was on now.
He got ready, rehearsing in his mind how he was going to pull this off. Then, the truck began to gear down again. They were slowing. The driveway came up quickly and Jake jerked the wheel to the right turning into the hospital parking lot. The truck followed. Jake went straight ahead but the truck made a dangerously  sharper turn heading down the gentle slope to the emergency room entrance.
Breathing hard, Jake continued on into the parking lot. He steered around and came to a rest in a parking place a few feet from the emergency room entrance. He could see the truck still parked in its driveway. A burly man was just coming around the truck. Seeing Jake, he started toward him.
Jakes blood froze in his veins.
Coming up to the car, the man tapped on Jakes driver side window.
Jake rolled down the window a little. 
"It's my mother-in-law," he said. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and took a business card out of it. He scribbled some information on the back and handed it to Jake. "sorry about the -- well, you know. I noted your license plate before and was planning to send you insurance information, but since you are here, I'll just hand it to you. All the information is on the card. Have a good one." he saluted Jake and was gone.
Jake looked at the card. "Henry Gates, Tri-State Trucking 555-7200" Jakes mouth dropped open. He looked up to see the man hoist himself up into the cab and drive away. He turned the card over. All the information he needed to file a claim was on the back. 
At home Jake pulled into the garage and went around to assess the damage. It wasn't too bad. The bumper on the truck had been higher so the back was pushed in and he would never be able to open the trunk until it was fixed, but Henry Gates -- WOW! He grinned and chuckled to himself. He had been pushed around by one of the richest men in the country. He wondered if Gates always drove his trucks.
"What's with you? And where have you been? I thought you were just going down to the post office."  Then she saw the damaged rear end. "Are you okay?"
Jake turned around to face his wife. "You are never going to believe what happened," he said.