The U.S. Army accepted delivery of six neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV’s) at a ceremony today at Fort Meyer, Virginia. This represents the first of 4,000 NEV’s that the Army intends to lease over the next three years.

GEM light utility electric vehicle leased by the US Army

The six NEV’s were manufactured by Global Electric Motorcars and represented two models, a 4 passenger sedan and a two passenger light utility vehicle. GEM describes an NEV as:

GEM battery-electric vehicles are classified as low-speed vehicles, or neighborhood electric vehicles, and are street legal in nearly all 50 states on public roads posted at 35 mph or less. With a top speed of 25 mph, GEM cars have a range of up to 30 miles on a charge and are great for traveling around neighborhoods, city centers or job sites. GEM vehicles are battery-electric, operate on a 72-volt battery system and plug into a standard 110-volt outlet. What makes GEM vehicles so unique is that they can be recharged anytime, anywhere a 110-volt outlet is available and recharge in approximately six to eight hours.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy and Partnerships, Paul Bollinger, attended as did the press and personnel from the Army and Navy. Bollinger spoke to a Bloggers’ Roundtable afterward.

The Army currently has about 40,000 alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet. Many are not using alternative fuels because the construction of fueling stations and the availability of alternative fuels has lagged behind the leasing or purchases of the vehicles themselves.

The NEV’s being leased beginning today could be the replacement vehicles for up to 28,000 sedans and light trucks currently in the Army fleet. This move does not mean that the Army is abandoning the use of alternative fuel vehicles, Bollinger said. The limitations on speed and distance of an NEV mean that non-electric vehicles will still be needed on Army installations.

The cost of a sedan leased through the GSA to the Army is about $13,500. The four passenger NEV will cost $10,200. Secretary Bollinger did not have the costs of the light utility vehicle.

GEM electric 4 passenger vehicle leased by the US Army

The lease of 4,000 NEV’s is projected to save the Army the purchase of 11.5 million gallons of fuel over the six years of the lease. Each NEV will cost about $400 per year to keep charged. The Army anticipates a cost of about $200 per vehicle to create charging stations for the vehicles. The Secretary pointed out that an ordinary three pronged outlet is all that is required to charge an NEV so a charging station will not be necessary in many circumstances.

The GSA has the lease proposal posted today. GEM is not the only maker of NEV’s in the country and the final lease could reflect a number of manufacturers. The Army anticipate phasing in the NEV fleet over three years, with 800 leased in year one, and 1,600 in years two and three.

One additional benefit to the use of NEV’s is the increase in safety on base. The US military has had concerns about vehicle safety and the number of preventable motor vehicle accidents for many years. With a top speed of 25 mph, which is the speed limit on Army installations, the NEV prevents speeding and should reduce accidents.

This move by the Army is similar to the needs discussed in a Bloggers’ Roundtable with Kevin Billings, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics on October 21, 2008. At that time the Air Force had no electric vehicles.