The Evolution Continues

Cute yet holds a 1000 lbs plus 2 people!

The U.S. Army announced the acquisition of 4,000 Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs). An initiative to potentially replace up to 28,000 gas-powered vehicles at more than 155 Army installations with in the coming years. Estimates put the savings over a six-year service lifetime at 11 million gallons of fuel, not to mention 115,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Global Electric Motorcar (GEM), a division of Chrysler, delivered the first six NEVs to Fort Myer, Virginia. Two of the NEVs are four-seat sedans. The other four are two-seat trucks with flatbeds and a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds. Both models have a range of 30 miles at 25 mph on a full eight-hour battery charge, can charge their batteries at any three-pronged household outlet, and cost about $10,200 each.

Then there is the New York project:

Good deal for New York?

New York Major Michael R. Bloomberg announced that BMW will be loaning the city 10 MINI E electric vehicles for its SCOUT program, (Street Condition Observation Unit), scours the city for dangers like potholes, roadway damage, and aesthetic
issues like graffiti.

The MINI E can travel more than 150 miles on a single charge and provides the agility and handling of a MINI Cooper. It is powered by a 150 kilowatt electric motor with the equivalent of 201 hp. The energy supply comes from a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

These 10 MINIs are part of an armada of 500 MINI Es being used as a one-year pilot study; the program aims to examine the viability of the vehicles for the consumer market. Vehicle delivery will begin in April. MINI Es will be deployed in New York and New Jersey and Los Angeles metropolitan areas with additional vehicles beingtested in Berlin, Germany and London, England.