Marissa Battle and two friends marched out of the woods after a strenuous 5-mile hike near Olympic National Park, excited for the rest of their Twilight getaway weekend in Forks, Wash., the rural setting for the popular vampire romance saga.
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Then they got a jolt: They were locked out of the car. The trio had rented a technology-reliant Hyundai Elantra from Zipcar Inc., which had given the vehicle the fun name of Monroe. The car-sharing service owned by Avis Budget Group Inc. operates rental cars equipped with radio-frequency identification, known as RFID, and Bluetooth technology. Monroe is locked and unlocked through an app on a cellphone.
Despite being on a first-name basis with their car, the three friends couldn t get inside. Because the trailhead was so remote, there was no cell service. They figured that without a signal, Monroe couldn t hear them.
Another thing you can t do without cell service is easily summon help. At the trailhead, with the late-afternoon sun sinking, they debated whether to scrounge for a ride. We were kind of making a gamble of like, OK, do we want to get in a car with these strangers? says Ms. Battle, who is now 25.
Eventually they hitched a ride with a passing husband and wife (not vampires, whew) who were camping nearby.
