It’s white with green trim, carries 1,450 pounds, has a top speed of 25 mph, and is likely to cost a penny a mile to ferry maintenance staff and their gear between the Portola Valley Town Center and the hardware store or playing fields on Alpine Road.
The Town Council voted unanimously on Oct. 24 to spend $16,300 to buy a GEM eL XD electric cart from Hartzheim Dodge in San Jose. The cart should arrive in about four weeks.
The decision reflects a $13,000 commitment by the council in the 2007-08 budget to buy an electric utility cart. The shortfall of $3,300 is likely to be drawn from the budget’s contingency funds.
The budget includes another $30,000 meant for a hybrid vehicle, primarily for the building inspector’s trips around town.
The town’s maintenance staff test-drove the electric cart, “looked it over very carefully,” and came back satisfied, Assistant Town Administrator Janet McDougall said.
“We’re in the 21st century (now),” Mayor Ted Driscoll remarked after the council voted.
Hartzheim Dodge was the closest GEM dealer in the area, and the town is paying $1,000 over dealer invoice, Ms. McDougall said. The price includes a warranty and two years of on-site vehicle service.
Among the options on the model the town is buying: hard doors rather than canvas ones, heater/defogger, a stake bed, and a grab-handle package.
The manufacturer, Global Electric Motorcars based in Fargo, North Dakota, is a Chrysler affiliate founded in 1998, according to the company Web site.
With safety belts, headlights, windshield wipers and safety glass, the cart meets National Highway Traffic Safety Administration neighborhood-electric-vehicle standards for low-speed travel on public roads, the Web site says.
Traffic build-ups behind the cart won’t be a problem, Ms. McDougall said. Staff will be instructed to pull over and let the faster vehicles pass.
The vehicle has “plenty of power” and handles well even with a load of 800 pounds, Hartzheim Dodge salesman Steve Orsua said.
Solar power
A single charge on the plug-in vehicle is good for 30 to 40 miles. The cart plugs into a standard electrical outlet and can recharge overnight, Mr. Orsua said.
Recharges probably won’t draw much from the grid. A solar panel system of up to 70 kilowatts is going in at the new Town Center complex.
