County's Fleet Gets A Little Bit Greener
Howard County unveiled two electric vehicles last week.
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Two Howard County offices hope to spend less on gas, with the addition of electric Nissan Leaf sedans, which County Executive Ken Ulman unveiled last week.
The Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits now have a 2012 Nissan LEAF, which can run about 100 miles per charge, according to a county spokesperson.
The vehicles, which cost $38,000 each, will use approximately $600 of electricity annually, according to a county press release.
“This is just the latest step in our initiative to make Howard County a leader in environmental sustainability and the protection of our natural resources," Ulman said in a statement.
Employees will charge the vehicles at the Thomas Dorsey Building in Columbia, with the charging station provided to the county through a Maryland Energy Administration grant. The charging station is also free for employees and residents of Howard County.
The vehicles are far from the first electric vehicles to grace the Howard County streets though, according to the Columbia Archives website. In 1976, urban planner Jim Rouse purchased a Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar for the Rouse Company, and drove it around the headquarters in Columbia, says the Archives website.
Ohai
8:39 am on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Why does Ken Ulman pretend to care so much about saving gas when he has those white radar vans parked in along the road with their engines running all day long? How can Ulman pretend to care about environmental sustainablity when he's wasting that much gas with the radar van program?
Anne
6:52 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Because he's running for governor & this is yet another grandstand play comparable to his cementing a new time capsule into the county's government office building. After the administrations of "Harry the Horse" (Hughes), Glendenning & now O'Malley one would think that MARYLAND voters would begin demanding a better class of politician/candidate!
Ohai
10:29 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Anyone who would pay $38,000 for that totally lame car must be on some really good meth. Seriously. I'll bet Ulman has never purchased a car that lame and that expensive with his own money.
Anne
3:02 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Not only has Ulman & Howard County paid $38,000 for this kiddie car, but I'm wondering where & how they plan on disposing of the battery when it runs down?
Battery disposal is a major drawback to these vehicles & very few pundits are talking about it. Should we consider the Columbia Mall center court for a new dumpsite?