Is Red Bank about to start buzzing with funny-looking little electric cars?
Could be, if early adapters follow the leads of two trendsetters.
One is a furniture store known for impeccable taste in modern design. The other, as unlikely as it may sound, is the Borough of Red Bank itself.
Three new GEM eS electric vehicles are about to hit the streets. The borough bought them, at a cost of $11,809 each, last month for use by the Parking Authority.
Last week, Jim Bruno and his crew at Powerhouse Signworks on Drs. Parker Boulevard installed emergency lights and town markings on the battery-powered vehicles. This is the same model of car redbankgreen test-drove for a feature article back in May.
And across town, designfront has managed to squeeze a sizzling red Kurrent into a tight corner of his storefront window.
Both the GEM and the Kurrent are “Neighborhood Electric Vehicles,” a legislative designation for electric cars that can go at least 20 mph but can’t exceed 25 mph.
The Kurrent usually goes for $13,999 after transportation and other incidental fees are added in, but designfront is selling this one for just $9,999. Owner Bill Nuzzo tells us he also has them in black and silver.
Looks like a steal to us. Maybe the catch is that you have to get it out of the store without bumping into the floor-to-ceiling window just inches away.
Yesterday’s New York Times had a feature on the pros and cons of electric vehicles, but neither the GEM nor the Kurrent were discussed.
