New delivery car cuts emissions

Pizza Express has bought into a "big" advancement in environmental technology -- and they don't seem to mind that its dwarfed by virtually all vehicles with which it shares the road. \nThe campus store has introduced a zero-emission electric car for food deliveries, one that in size more resembles a go-cart. \n"We're getting tons of interest about the car, everybody seems to love it," said Jeff Mease, co-owner of Pizza Express, in reference to the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. \nMease said he was a large advocate of the vehicle's purchase, one-third of which was funded through a grant from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Indiana. \nThe NEV's top speed is around 35 mph and it can travel about 30 miles per full battery charge, which takes a maximum of six hours, said Mark Zrska, manager at Pizza Express' campus store.\n"Only a couple of drivers have driven it so far, and management drove it just make sure nothing went wrong at first, but the attitude toward it around the store has been pretty positive," Zrska said. \nThe majority of deliveries from the 10th Street Pizza Express are made within two miles of the campus store, which will be the vehicle's home base.\nZrska said the car has only been on a handful of deliveries so far but its use will most likely increase during the summer and into next fall.\nThe four-seat NEV is to be officially introduced to the public Friday afternoon during the Earth and Music Festival at Dunn Meadow. Mease said he saw in the car a potential to make local transit more cost-effective and less polluting, according to a statement.\n"We are trying to model behavior that improves our environment," Mease said in a statement. "We believe that new sciences and technologies must be supported by those who share a common vision for the future." \nGlobal Electric Motorcars, a DaimlerChrysler company, manufactured the car. Pizza Express/One World Enterprises bought the it directly from Bill Robertson Motors, Inc., a Greencastle, Ind., dealership that bought a franchise from GEM to carry the vehicle in stock, said Barbara Woods, a sales consultant with Bill Robertson Motors.\n"We sell a lot of them to gated communities, such as elderly people's neighborhoods and country clubs," Woods said. "There's even a couple here in Greencastle that drives each other to work in one of them."\nIn addition to Bill Robertson Motors, NEVs can be purchased at GEM dealerships in Habstadt and Fowler, Ind. The price ranges from $8,000 to $12,000 -- the two-seat model is cheaper than the four-seat model that Pizza Express owns.\n"If gas prices continue to go up, I definitely see an increasing demand for these vehicles, particularly for in-town use," Woods said. "I love driving it! It's like driving a go-kart," said Mease, who is scheduled to give a presentation on the car at Friday's festival. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Michael Beal at mdbeal@indiana.edu.