Electric Car Lease Approved in Gloucester Twp.

The Township Council this week approved a plan to lease four, electric-powered cars.

The lease price is about $112 per month for a two-year lease, township Administrator Tom Cardis said. Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV model is a fully electric car with no emissions and is soundless, the company says, and has an equivalent of 112 miles per gallon.

Cardis said the savings on gas, alone, will more than pay for the lease.

There wouldn't seem to be much to argue about in this deal, but a Patch story last week tallied 161 comments about the purchase, and other township politics.

The intention is to use the cars for construction and code enforcement, as those employees regularly drive around the township.

Each car can hold a charge long enough for 80 miles of driving daily, Cardis said. The lease, which would run through Cherry Hill Triplex, limits the annual mileage to 12,000, or 57 miles a day based on a four-day workweek.

Consumer Reports was far from enamored, however, putting the “glorified golf cart” cruise charge life at 60 miles, and noting that each full charge can take six to seven hours. But the car is among the most efficient the consumer magazine has ever tested, a reviewer noted (click on the video above to watch.)