Electric cars go on sale at Lompoc dealership

Tired of feeling like a sucker at the gas pump? Well, here's some electrifying news.

The New California Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealership, 415 W. Central Ave. in Lompoc, is offering a lineup of electric cars - the only dealership in the region to offer them, said Finance Manager John Naar.

“It's a heck of a little car,” Naar said. “It's neat, it's quiet. You can plug it into your garage.”

The GEM, which resembles a golf cart, is made by the Global Electric Motorcar company, a Daimler-Chrysler subsidiary based in Fargo, N.D., and sold through the parent company.

The electric car comes in three versions: a two-seater, starting at about $7,000; a four-seater, starting about $9,700; and a truck model that starts at about $10,900.

A federal tax credit up to $6,000 may be available to purchasers.

Charging up the car is comparable to charging a cell phone, with an electrical input on the front of the car that can hook up to a regular 110 outlet.

The range of the car is around 30 miles after a six- to eight-hour recharge. Its top speed is 25 mph, and it is street legal in cities, although illegal on freeways.

Leon Evans, an Internet sales associate for the Lompoc dealership, said the car is optimal for use within a city, on golf courses and around hospitals and retirement communities.

Naar said the nearby golf course in the Lompoc area is one of the reasons the cars are being sold exclusively in the area.

“This is the only dealership in the Central Coast, because they don't want to spread them all over the place,” Evans said.

Evans said other reasons for selling the car included being conscious of the environment and the large number of retirees living in the city.

“This is a big retirement home,” he said.

Neil Nisperos can be reached at 736-1059, or nnisperos@santa

mariatimes.com.

July 21, 2007