7:56 p.m.: Chesterfield gives Anderson electric car

By Jessica Kerman

May 14, 2008 07:57 pm

— ANDERSON — Anderson is going, and driving, green.
Mayor Kris Ockomon will start efforts to be more environment-friendly with a newly acquired Global Electric Motorcar, Chrysler’s battery-electric brand of low-speed vehicles.
Chesterfield police received two of the electric cars as surplus equipment from the military. The Anderson Police Department has received clothing through a similar program.
When James Kimm, police chief of the Chesterfield Police Department, offered the vehicle to Anderson, the city gladly accepted the offer.
“It’s a good lead into our green campaign,” Ockomon said.
The car needs some repair, but Ockomon said the repairs would be sponsored by local businesses, and in return the businesses’ logos would be decals on the car.
Ockomon said he would use it in fair weather to get to and from City Hall.
The cars are classified as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, meaning they can be driven on roads with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or less. The cars plug into a standard 110-volt outlet to recharge.
According to the car manufacturer’s Web site, the cars can go up to 25 miles per hour. But Ockomon said the city’s vehicle goes 30 mph.
“The whole thing more than anything is to promote the green concept,” Ockomon said. “It will let people see we’re conscious of it.”
These low-speed vehicles are available in six models, all of which produce zero emissions.
Global Electric Motorcars dealerships are in 41 states with two locations in Indiana — one in Fowler and the other in Haubstadt. The cars are also available in Canada, Thailand and parts of Western Europe. The cars range from the e2, starting at $6,795, to the e6 special edition, starting at $17,495.