Electric utility cart cruises Fairbanks campus
July 30, 2014
The UAF Office of Sustainability recently purchased a new electric utility cart with funds from the student sustainability fee. It will reduce the use of gas vehicles in summers.
Plug-in carts have lower operating and maintenance costs, and produce little or no local air pollution.
Electric carts reduce dependence on petroleum and may reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the on-board source of power, depending on the fuel and technology used for electricity generation to charge the batteries.
Maintenance costs are lower because electronic systems break down less often than the mechanical systems in conventional vehicles, and the fewer mechanical systems that are on board last longer. Plug-in vehicles also do not require oil changes and other routine maintenance checks.