David Larotonda checks out a GEM electric car on Madison Avenue earlier this year. Yes, the borough vehicles will have doors.
After a short-circuited bid last spring, the Borough of Red Bank is back on the fast track to energy efficient transportation with the purchase of three low-speed electric vehicles for use by parking enforcement.
And this time, the cars are latest-generation design and styling, not merely spruced-up golf carts.
The borough council Monday night awarded a contract to the sole bidder, Remsen Dodge of Hazlet, which will supply a trio of GEM eS vehicles at a cost to the town $11,809 each, for a total of $35,427.
A fourth, identical vehicle is to be acquired by the borough at the same price later this year under the agreement.
Back in early May, the council award a contract for three golf-cart style vehicles called Club Car Carryall 2s to Vic Gerard Golf Cars. Shortly afterward, though, Borough Administrator Stanley Sickels said he learned that the vehicles did not meet the speed requirements under state law.
To qualify as a low-speed vehicle, cars have to be able to go at least 20 mph, but cannot exceed 25 mph. The Cushmans could only top out at 19 mph with some tweaking, Sickels said.
The GEMs, made by a subsidiary of Daimler Chrysler, have a cartoony profile, like a giant egg stood on end between two sets of tires.
“They look like something you’d get at Toys ‘R Us,” said one borough hall wag.
redbankgreen test-drove a GEM e2 for a feature story we ran in May.
Proponents say the cars are frugal on energy, and can get about 30 miles per eight-hour charge on a standard 120-volt line. The cost is just pennies per mile traveled, they say.
Downside? Don’t get caught with a dead battery without having an electric outlet nearby, as well as an alternate ride back to your point of origin.
Couldn't the Borough have saved $35k & made the parking authority employees WALK? The whole area where parking is enforced is what, 6 blocks by 5 blocks??? What a waste.
RED BANK HAS NOW BECOME ONE OF THE FIRST TOWNS IN THE STATE TO ADD "ZERO EMMISION" VEHICLES INTO THEIR BOROUGH FLEET IN AN EFFORT TO COMPLY WITH STATE EXECUTIVE ORDER NO.54 WHICH WAS SIGNED ON FEBRUARY 21 2007 BY GOV. CORZINE. THE HOPE IS THAT THESE VEHICLES WILL EVENTUALLY BE USED IN OTHER AREAS OF ENFORCEMENT (SIMILAR TO BELMAR'S POLICE FORCE)AND WE CAN CUT EVEN MORE GREEN HOUSE GASE EMISSION. THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING THE STORY. RS
Hey Red Bank! If you want to test drive a smartcar and see how Red Bank's prospective purchase of EVs is going to help reduce greenhouse gases…go to Jack's Music Shoppe Saturday and Sunday 12 - 7:30 to see the "street smart" road show! smart USA is taking the smart fortwo cars on a 50+ city cross-country tour so that enthusiasts can see it, touch it and drive it!
reservations to test drive smart cars can be made at http://www.smartusa.com/
Right on, Red Bank Gal. The only low emission vehicles they should be given are a few pair of New Balance. This is utterly ridiculous.
I commend the boro for making an effort to reduce pollution, but I have to agree that walking is even better. I can see that vehicles may be needed in bad weather, but I hope that when the weather is good, the employees will go on foot (and save on those health care costs!)
Of course, the whole thing only makes if the Boro also gets rid of some vehicles, which it has been notoriously bad at doing.
If they don't, they are actually making things worse.
There is nothing magical about electric vehicles. The fossil fuels used to power them are merely burned father away, at the other end of the electric grid. When you factor in the total impact, including the envirnmental impact of manufacturing and disposing of the batteries, as well as the impact of special maintenance, the whole thing seems a bit iffy to me.
I guess all that matters is that we feel *good* about ourselves, right?
i agree, we are years away from the perfect solution to global warming. modern dairy farming emits the equivalent of 1.2kg of C02 to produce less than a pint of milk! it's like "where do we start?" today's battery disposal is also very important. the U.S. currently can only produce 12.5% of the world's lead, yet we consume over three times that amount in evrything from cell phones to lap tops to battery back up for solar panels. please encourage everyone to never throw battery's in the trash. feel free to contact me for futher disscusion on these important topics. rs
For a discussion on why electric cars are less polluting overall, please take a look at:
http://www.electroauto.com/info/poll.shtml
http://www.evworld.com/evguide.cfm