On Monday, Secretary of the Army, Hon. Pete Geren will host an unveiling ceremony for the Army’s new neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) in Fort Myer, Va.
The NEVs are the first six of 4,000 being leased by the U.S. Army as part of an energy security initiative. The Army will eventually have electric vehicles on 40 bases.
NEVs are light-weight battery-powered cars and trucks with a maximum speed of 35 mph. The cars will be used exclusively on bases where the speed limit is 30 mph or less.
The Army released a statement that said switching 4,000 gas powered vehicles with electric vehicles will save 11 million gallons of fuel over their 6-year service life, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 115,000 tons.
The first six electric vehicles are made by Global Electric Motors (GEM), a division of the Chrysler Corp., but the total 4,000 will be leased from several manufacturers.
The Army Times reported that the Army’s electric vehicles sparked interest from other branches of the military.
“The good news is that the Air Force and Navy have come to us and said that they want to piggyback on the order,” said Paul Bollinger, deputy assistant Army secretary for energy and partnerships.
Bollinger also told the Army Times that the Army is putting decals on the doors of the electric vehicles that say, “Army Green, Army Strong.”
For more information about Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, read Drive an Electric Vehicle and Never Buy Gas Again.
