Bikes & Cars...

Malmstrom Air Force Base, near Great Falls, Montana, is home to many things: 200 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, for example. Four thousand people, who make up the 341st Space Wing (which just sounds cool). Seven Huey helicopters. And six cute-as-a-bug electric vehicles from GEM.

According to Kent Seaton, who works with the EVs at Malmstrom AFB, there were two main factors that contributed to the acquisition of these little cars when he began the process in 2005. First is the energy conservation rebate money that the base receives from the utility company; second would be the fact that it was getting harder and harder to acquisition vehicles for people to use. Enter the EV, which at the time was classified as equipment and was therefore easier to get on base.

Seaton contacted a couple of other Air Force bases that were using EVs to see how they liked them. Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs had a few that it used to maintain their golf course, and a Marine base in Southern California used them to get around. Both bases reported that they’d had their EVs for five years and were “fairly satisfied” with them.

Malmstrom’s current fleet of EVs includes the short-box pickup, the long-box pickup, and the four-door model, all built by GEM. “The computer folks use the pickups to install and replace monitors, CPUs, printers, things like that,” says Seaton. “The pickups can carry light items, but we don’t tax them.” They do, after all, only have five horsepower.

But the GEMs also have a maximum speed of 25 mph and a range of 40 miles on a full charge, which is plenty for getting around the 3700-acre base. The GEM’s batteries and small tires aren’t quite up to year-round use in Montana, though, Seaton admits. “We don’t use them a whole lot in the wintertime.”

“They’ve been fairly trouble-free,” he says. “We’ve had a few maintenance issues.” There has been a learning curve for people used to driving gas-powered cars. “At a stop sign, you think they’ve died. You just have to move your foot from the brake to the pedal and go again.”

“We do like them very well,” Seaton adds. “They’re very economical. If we drive 1000 miles a year, we’ll save $700 to $800. Fuel has become so expensive, and people were having to use their own vehicles to get around the base. We’re saving energy all the way around.”

Photo of Tech Sgt. Kenneth Sanders and a GEM e4 courtesy Ryan Hall.