Baseball’s Opening Day includes Electric Vehicles in first LEED-Certified Stadium in Major League Baseball

March 30, 2008 , Washington, D.C. -  On Opening Day of Major League Baseball at the new Nationals Park, electric vehicles from Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) were in prominent use by the Washington Nationals during opening day ceremonies, including transporting the team’s mascot.

The Washington Nationals purchased 20 zero-tailpipe emission electric vehicles from GEM, a Chrysler company, for use in the Nationals Park, beginning this season as part of the park’s efforts to become the first LEED- (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) compliant stadium in the country.

The Nationals join a wave of professional sports teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, using all-electric GEM vehicles to haul gear, players and security personnel, and/or to maintain the grounds. GEMs are also used to patrol the grounds of the Oriole Park Camden Yards Sports Complex in Baltimore, Md.

GEM vehicles are battery-electric and produce no tailpipe emissions. The LEED qualification means the Nationals have met the majority of the requirements of the LEED program, which include sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and process and innovation, as well as “alternative transportation: low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles.” LEED is a voluntary green building standard and certification system created by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Going green is as patriotic as baseball and apple pie. We’re excited that GEM vehicles are an eco-friendly transport for the Nationals and are playing such a key role in the first LEED-compliant stadium,” said Rick Kasper, President and Chief Operating Officer of GEM. “Congratulations to the Nationals for winning their Opening Day game. It was fun to see the red GEM eL on television during the opening ceremonies at the stadium last night.”

“The Washington Nationals new ballpark – Nationals Park – is striving to become the first LEED-certified ballpark in the United States,” said Stan Kasten, President of the Washington Nationals. “We are very proud of the environmentally friendly design of Nationals Park and the operations within the venue. The utilization of GEM vehicles at the Park will contribute to our efforts to garner LEED certification.”

The team purchased 13 eL utility vehicles, six four-passenger e4s and a single e2 vehicle for an array of uses through Clean Cities, a division of AutoFlex, Inc., a 20-year pioneer in the development of fleet industry services for transportation, energy and environmental projects (www.cleancities.com). The Nationals’ new GEM vehicles joined the team for their triumphant first game of the 2008 Major League Baseball season at Nationals Park on March 30, 2008, against the Atlanta Braves (www.nationals.mlb.com).

Information on GEM electric vehicles is available at www.gemcar.com.

About Global Electric Motorcars (GEM)
A Chrysler company, GEM has manufactured and distributed more than 36,000 neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) worldwide that are being used in master planned communities, university and corporate campuses, and local, state and national government agencies.

GEM has been producing street-legal NEVs for 10 years. GEM vehicles have many of the same safety features of regular cars (such as three-point seat belts, automotive safety glass and lights), but are much more economical in price and fuel consumption. Global Electric Motorcars was the first to offer multipurpose NEVs for sale from a major automaker. Today, the company produces six battery-electric vehicle models, ranging from two-seaters to six-seaters plus three utility models.

GEM recently was recognized by WestStart-CALSTART with the prestigious 2007 Blue Sky Merit Award for its positive impact on air quality in the state of California, where nearly 14,000 GEM vehicles are on the road.

GEM vehicles have driven a combined 200 million miles and have spared over 150 tons of ozone-forming tailpipe pollutants from reaching the air, while saving nearly 10 million gallons of gasoline. GEM vehicles are eligible for incentives and tax credits from clean-air districts and other governmental agencies. For more information, to build your own GEM or to locate a dealer, visit www.gemcar.com.

About LEED
LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary, national green building standard (USGBC), of which Seattle is a member. Developed through a consensus process, LEED sets the standard for high-performance green buildings. It is based on well-founded scientific standards, accepted principles and best practices. LEED encourages an integrated design process and establishes performance goals in the form of credits for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and process and innovation. Points are awarded for credits achieved, with a total of 69 points possible. Forty percent of these points must be achieved to gain certification, which includes four progressive levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum (usgbc.org/LEED)