Denver Federal Center Adds More Affordable, Environmentally Clean Transportation

Over the past eight years, the U.S. General Services Administration has added a total of 26 neighborhood electrical vehicles to its campus fleet. Because of this, GSA has been able to replace 19 leased cars saving the tax payer about $80,000 per year.

“The DFC is committed to becoming the most sustainable campus in the United States by the year 2020. The Neighborhood Electrical Vehicle fleet is another means for GSA to add more eco-friendly campus services to help us meet that goal,” said Susan Damour, Rocky Mountain Regional Administrator.

When driving a regular car, you have to drive up to five miles before the catalytic converter is hot enough to burn off the pollutants.  The DFC is about one square mile in size so that burn off does not happen due to the short distances traveled. The campus layout creates an environmental advantage, allowing for the use of electric vehicles instead of cars.

Not only are NEVs environmentally friendly, they are cost efficient. The overall operating cost is 50% that of a car. Removing 19 gasoline powered cars is equivalent to 99.4 Metric tons of CO2, which means: 11,140 gallons of gas consumed, 231 barrels of oil, energy for 8.6 homes for a year, gas emissions avoided by recycling 34.6 tons of waste instead of sending it to a landfill.

NEVs are vehicles that are capable of traveling at a maximum speed of 25mph and cost approximately $15 month for electricity.  They come with safety features like headlights, turn signals and seat belts. You can plug them into a standard 110v outlet, like the one where you plug in your toaster, and recharge them within six to eight hours.  “It’s great to be able to get around campus in a pollution-free form of transportation. The NEV is the ideal answer to our campus transportation needs,” said Charlie Rienhardt, GSA Community Center Business Manager.

For more information go to www.gsa.gov/r8dfc or www.facebook.com/DenverFederalCenter.