University Park presents a new way to enforce parking

by PegNews wire

The GEM E2, soon to be seen doing donuts in the Snider Plaza parking lot

DMN reports that parking enforcement officers will soon be prowling the streets of University Park's Snider Plaza in global electric vehicles known as GEMs.

GEMs are produced by Global Electric Motorcars, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler. Street-legal in at least 40 states, including Texas, they run entirely on batteries, which means there are no tailpipe emissions. According to the manufacturer's Web site, they are used in master-planned communities and city centers and on military bases and college campuses for short commutes and parking enforcement.

University Park's model, an E2, has a top speed of 25 mph and a range of 35 miles per charge. It can be fully charged overnight and ready to go the next day.

And the downside? "We learned the hard way that you have to charge it properly or else it runs out of power. You can't just put gas in it and keep going," [University Park Police] Chief Gary Adams said.

What?! You can't put gas in an electric car?

Chief Adams sees one day implementing the GEM outside the realm of busy shopping areas.

"We're thinking about using it during special events, like the Fourth of July parade, or in parks," he said. "It's an awkward-looking little vehicle. Most regular police officers don't want to get in it yet, but it could be used after-hours in parking lots. ... It's very quiet, and that element of surprise could be used in crime prevention."

Surprising, indeed.

Posted by Kaitlin