Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Going Green is Golden

  • 05/01/18
GEM car

By choosing clean and sustainable GEM vehicles, NSU eliminated the need for volatile fuel storage and oil changes within their LSV fleet.

When Norfolk State University’s (NSU) facilities management set out to reduce operating costs, cut emissions and noise, and improve the safety of their low-speed-vehicle (LSV) fleet, big changes started to happen. The school now owns and operates 22 Polaris GEM LSV vehicles to help with grounds maintenance, utility support, and passenger transportation.

In 2014, NSU acquired a fleet of 10 GEMs that were used primarily for maintenance. By the end of 2017, they added 12 more GEMs, including a six-passenger transport vehicle. Continued attention to improvements has meant the addition of great features—including three-point safety belts and larger capacity batteries. These features have expanded the way NSU uses the GEM.

According to Dia M. Hendricks-Hayes, director of Administrative Services, the goal of acquiring the GEM vehicles was to reduce emissions and noise while containing operating costs and improving fleet safety. GEM vehicles helped NSU meet all those requirements with the added benefit of street legal features that provide flexibility in day-today operations. NSU employees now move around the campus quickly, in traffic, on sidewalks, and even across turf.

Hendricks-Hayes adds that employees who regularly use the vehicles love them, especially the flexibility, range, and maneuverability around campus. As a result, the number of departments purchasing GEM vehicles has increased, adding to the university’s fleet.

By choosing clean and sustainable GEM vehicles, NSU eliminated the need for volatile fuel storage and oil changes within their LSV fleet. Maintenance workers can now focus on the needs of the campus, rather than spending time maintaining the fleet that allows them to do their work—effectively lowering ownership costs by saving on maintenance. NSU is also promoting energy independence by using alternative fuel vehicles with no emissions.

www.GEMCar.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management May 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.