Gaithersburg Debuts New Electric Vehicles

Car docking stations in Gaithersburg are about to become a bit busier.

The city debuted its new Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicles Mondayevening, prior to the Gaithersburg City Council meeting.

The city partnered with King Mitsubishi to acquire the cars, Cindy Hines, assistant to the city manager, said.

"King Mitsubishi was interested in trying to get their cars to be more visible and asked the city if we'd be interested in a program where they provide a 2-year lease for three cars," Hines said. "They paid in full and the city can use up to 10,000 miles per year."

The cars have a real-world driving range of 62 miles per charge, Hines said. Charging docks are in place at the Olde Towne Youth Center and behind Robertson Park, with plans to add additional docks at City Hall, Public Works and the Activity Center at Bohrer Park.

Hines said she's unsure if the city planned to add additional electric cars to the fleet, but she said the city wanted to jump on the opportunity to add some full electric vehicles for a short period of time.

"I think we've seen the value of the use of that type of vehicle, especially in the city setting where you're only traveling 25-30 mph," Hines said.