US Army goes green and adds electric cars to its fleet

US Army goes green and adds electric cars to its fleet


The US Army has decided to start replacing its fleet of conventional cars, by buying thousands of battery-powered, 35 mph electric cars and light trucks to provide on-base transport. The plans were unveiled last month and Army officials already announced that 800 cars will be delivered next year, with 4,000 over the next three years, with the overall target set at around 10,000 vehicles eventually. The vehicles will be street-legal NEVs (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) from E-Z-Go, Native American Biofuels International and other electric-car makers and the fact that these are only capable of doing 35 mph is no object to the Army, because the vehicles will be used only for on-base transportation, and the speed limit on US Army installation is 30 mph.


“The Neighborhood Electric Vehicle [NEV] will be at Fort Belvoir, before Dec. 15. Our goal is to have the secretary there to drive in one of the first ones,” said Paul Bollinger, deputy assistant Army secretary for energy and partnerships. “We are having bumper stickers put on and decals on the doors which say ‘Army Green, Army Strong.’ ” Of course, they’re making a lot of fuss around the ‘green’ part of this decision, but the most important reason is the costs cut, electric cars requiring only $400 per year to operate, while a conventionl gasoline car requires around $2,400.

Think City 100 percent Electric Car

Behind the wheel of a TH!NK City
Nippy and hassle-free, this could be the car to make Britain think again about electric motoring

TH!NK City electric car in London Photograph: Adam Vaughan

Gunnersbury roundabout, I watched as the expression of a Mercedes-Benz in the next lane turned from a sneer into astonishment. Thanks to both a hassle-free automatic gearbox and very nippy acceleration, you're usually first off the blocks.

If you leave city roads behind for motorways, however, the tables turn: the TH!NK tops out at 65mph, leaving you firmly in the slow lane. Even so, it's one of the few electric cars in the UK today that's actually fast enough for motorway driving. The Mega City, by comparison, has a maximum speed of 40mph. The range afforded by TH!NK's car also marks it apart, as it keeps on whirring like a milk float for more than twice as far as most of its rivals, managing 112 miles between charges.

Inside, the car's dashboard is similar to a Fiesta, which should come as no surprise since Ford previously owned TH!NK. One particularly nice interior touch is the see-through glass boot, which makes parking a cinch.

The TH!NK City still isn't quite what you'd call mainstream. The model I drove didn't have power-steering (the UK retail version will have) and if you opt for the four seat version, you won't comfortably get anyone older than primary school kids in the back.

It is, however, more real than many of the electric cars from Smart and Mitsubishi that get driven by journalists but never materialise in showrooms. This year, TH!NK says it will distribute 3,000 cars to governments and local authorities across Europe, including the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

And while only 1,200 have been sold to consumers in Norway and Denmark since 2002, the car's UK debut in 2010 could spark a small revolution. At a promised price of £12,000 the car will comfortably undercut the latest G-Wiz and Mega City, which – even if you ignore the allure of the car's environmental credentials – could be cheap enough to finally switch Britain on to electric motoring.

The Concept of Electric Car

The Concept of Electric Car!


The cars were different to 99 per cent of vehicles on the road. With the exception of a few current model Prius Toyotas, they were all home-converted battery electric vehicles. That’s right, mostly road-registered and street driven, these cars never visited petrol stations but instead needed only to be plugged into mains power.


Another thing rather different about the show was the interest being shown by visitors.


At a typical car sow you’ll get lots of lookers but few talkers. Here, every visitor had dozens of questions – and some even came equipped with notebooks and were writing down the answers. One guy had come all the way from Canberra and was actively seeking the information to enable him to have a car converted to electric power for his daily commute.


Others were asking about conversion costs, battery life, range, performance – and everything else you could imagine.


There was a constant buzz of interested conversation.


Along with the road-registered cars, there was also an electric kart, a half-built electric clubman and an electric motorbike. The road vehicles included a Camry wagon, Daihatsu Charade, Hyundai Excel, Daewoo Lanos and even a Mazda ute.


I was attending the show to gather material for some AutoSpeed stories, and got to drive three of the cars. We’ll be running these stories in due course, but in the mean time, if you’re at all interested in building your own battery electric car - or having a car converted to battery electric power - be aware that there’s a bunch of very enthusiastic and helpful people available to you as a resource.

Use the Electric car Save the Environment,Electric Cars Making A Comeback in 2011

Use the Electric car Save the Environment

Electric Cars Making A Comeback in 2011

2011 is being heralded by auto industry insiders as the “year of the electric car”. Though we here at Metaefficient endorse a life free of dependency upon cars, 100% electric vehicles are certainly more fuel efficient than internal combustion vehicles and may be on their way to becoming user-friendly as well.


For 2011 consumers interested in electric vehicles will have an array of options to choose from.Currently, the biggest news makers are Nissan with its’ 100% electric powered Leaf and Chevrolet with the Volt, while other major car companies have electric vehicles in development. Since sales of hybrid cars have increased while new car sales overall has decreased, manufacturers are confident that people are ready to embrace electric vehicles. Forecast predictions are optimistic. Executive Vice President of Nissan, Carlos Tavares, anticipates that “electric vehicles will account for 10 percent of all cars sold globally by 2020″. Though with the cost of an electric car still hovering above the $30,000 mark, other industry experts disagree. Here’s an overview of what’s available and what to look for in the coming year.

The Electric Car 2011 Nissan Leaf

2011 Nissan Leaf

2011 Nissan Leaf
The 2011 Nissan Leaf launches the official beginning to mass market production of a 100% electric powered vehicle. Powered by an 80 kilowatt electric motor using a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery, the Nissan Leaf boasts swift acceleration with an ultra-quiet cabin and speeds up to 90 mph. On a full charge, the Leaf has a range of 62-138 miles depending upon driving conditions. The EPA rating on the Leaf is 106 mpg city, 92 mpg highway, and 99 mpg combined with an estimated driving range of 73 miles. Recharging the battery at home will take around 4-8 hours. A commercial charge station can charge it in 30 minutes. The standard navigation system will display charging stations available along your route. Nissan says the average life of the battery is 5-10 years depending on usage. With the $7,500 federal tax savings applied, the cost of the Nissan Leaf comes down from the MSRP price of $32,780 to $25,280.

2011 Chevrolet Volt,hybrid electric vehicle

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt
Though technically a hybrid, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt is being included in the electric vehicle category because it is able to operate in an electric-only mode. After traveling about 40 miles on a 111 kilowatt, 149 horsepower electric motor, the onboard gasoline powered generator kicks in to supply the electricity needed to travel another 300 miles. The most advance hybrid vehicle, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt has been named by Motor Trend magazine as the car of the year. Edmunds states it may be the most fuel efficient car on the market. The EPA rating on the Volt is 93 mpg equivalent using the all electric mode and 37 mpg when the gas is on. What you save in fuel economy though will be paid for at the dealership. The MSRP on the 2011 Chevy Volt is $40,280. Apply the federal tax credit and you’ll still be looking at a sticker price of at least $33,000. Also, the lithium-ion battery can only be charged at home.

2011 Tesla Roadster It can go for 245 miles on a full charge

2011 Tesla Roadster

2011 Tesla Roadster
So maybe you don’t have an extra 100k lying around and probably you’re name isn’t George Clooney, but there’s no denying the fact the 2011 Tesla Roadster sends a lightning bolt of sexy into owning an electric vehicle. With 288 horsepower, the carbon fiber Roadster reaches 60 mph in 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph. It can go for 245 miles on a full charge. A 2011 Tesla Roadster will set you back $109,000. But as Tesla boasts unrivaled performance and the industry’s best battery, we can only hope that the advanced engineering of Tesla will trickle down to other car companies.