U.S. Veteran's Affairs Offices Trial Electric Cars
-Propelled by an electric engine, the rubber is hitting the road in Maryland. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including the VA Maryland Health Care System, and 20 other federal agencies nationwide are participating in a General Services Administration (GSA) pilot to test the efficacy of electric cars by incorporating them into the Federal fleet. More than 100 electric vehicles are being leased to agencies in Maryland, California, Michigan, and other locations. At the VA Maryland Health Care System, five Think City electric cars are replacing five petroleum fuel internal combustion engine vehicles, and they will be used like any other automobile to test their capabilities. The cars' performance will be evaluated using four criteria: performance, fuel savings, cost, and durability.
-A fully-charged electric car can run about 100 miles before it needs to be recharged and when it is depleted it takes about eight hours to recharge. To keep the cars charged, the VA installed five electric vehicle charging stations acquired by GSA. A veteran-owned company, Autoflex Inc, was contracted to install the charging stations - three at the Baltimore VA Medical Center and two at the Perry Point VA Medical Center. Coleman says a training program for employees is underway.
