Army goes electric with new Chrysler vehicles

WASHINGTON (AP)


The initiative is part of an effort to “create a culture of energy awareness throughout the entire Army,” said Paul Bollinger, the service’s deputy assistant secretary for energy and partnerships.

The Army will lease the equipment through the General Services Administration from Chrysler LLC and other companies, Bollinger said. The vehicles will replace 4,000 gas-powered cars the Army currently leases.

Chrysler’s Global Electric Motorcars division makes the two variants the Army will lease. The utility version, which can carry two passengers and includes a flatbed, can carry 1,000 pounds and cover 30 miles on a full battery charge. It will cost the Army $460 annually to power each vehicle, less than half of the $1,200 estimate for gasoline-powered cars.

…Many of the Army’s vehicles are far from fuel efficient. Tanks and armored vehicles, weighed down by tons of protective metal, consume gas at a rate that make even gas guzzling sport utility vehicles look green. Heavily armored equipment the Army uses to protect against mines in places like Iraq and Afghanistan get less than six miles per gallon. An Abrams tank burns a gallon of gas every two miles. Last year, the branch spent $169.7 million alone on nearly 52 million gallons of fuel for vehicles that aren’t used for combat.

AP