Huntsville Hospital's solar-powered cars putter across medical district

on September 21, 2011 at 6:10 AM

Huntsville Hospital solar carView full sizeHuntsville Hospital's three solar-powered electric cars are used to make deliveries, check on locked doors and pick up employees in the medical district. (The Huntsville Times/Dave Dieter)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Yes, they do turn heads when people see them cruising around the medical district.

No, they don't have golf bags on the back, though they're often referred to as a "souped-up golf cart."

The three solar-powered cars that Huntsville Hospital uses for a variety of purposes are the hospital's way to reduce effects on the environment and to stay on the cutting edge of new technology.

But, they still look like souped-up golf carts.

"We get a lot of looks and a lot of questions about it," said Frank Garcia, the hospital's utility systems manager.

The hospital bought three of the GEMs (Global Electric Motorcars) last year to replace two gasoline-fueled cars in its fleet.

"We thought, 'What the heck, let's try some electric cars,'" Garcia said.

The hospital paid about $13,000 for each GEM and spent about $25,000 on the solar equipment, batteries and chargers.

Instead of paying Huntsville Utilities for electricity to recharge the vehicles, the hospital installed 12 solar panels to produce the power needed to run the cars.

The solar panels are at the top of the parking deck on Madison Street and are hooked up to eight batteries, which store the power until the vehicles are recharged.

The car's battery can fully recharge in four hours and run a full eight-hour shift, or about 30 miles, on a full charge, Garcia said.

"It doesn't really have a solar panel on it," Garcia said of the solar-powered car. "It's charged by solar panels."

The cars are used by the hospital's security and maintenance divisions for various tasks. Security workers drive the cars for such things as to lock doors, pick up employees and make deliveries. Plant operations workers use them maintaining the hospital's grounds.

The hospital limits the use of the cars to the medical district, though they do go to the Medical Mall at Governors Drive and the Memorial Parkway.

The cars, which can hold four people, are street legal. But, with a top speed of about 26 mph, the hospital keeps them off Governors Drive.

"We're afraid they would get run over," Garcia said.

Garcia said the hospital is on the list to buy Nissan's Leaf electric car. The Leaf would allow the hospital to use it in a larger area, such as trips to its affiliate hospitals in Athens, Decatur and Sheffield, he said.

Zero emissions from the electric cars is an important aspect of protecting the environment, but so, too, is eliminating the disposal of transmission fluid, engine oil and antifreeze, Garcia said.

The solar-powered electric cars also offers the hospital options during an emergency such after the April 27 tornadoes. When the city was without power for several days causing gasoline pumps to not work, the solar panels continued to provide power and the solar cars kept rolling, Garcia said.

The cars and solar charging stations also give the hospital an opportunity to "stay ahead of the curve" in running the hospital, he said. They are "an entry-level opportunity to learn and experiment with this type of technology," Garcia said. "We believe that this type of technology will continue to improve and will be a part of the future."