Solar electric cars invade Hollywood

By Ben Mack

Hollywood is probably the last place that you expect to go green. It talks a good game, but there is something about Botox, breast implants and reality TV that doesn’t say “eco-friendly.”

Cruise Car, which bills itself as the only company mass producing solar-electric cars, hopes to change that perception of Tinseltown with some help from Universal Studios, which will convert its entire fleet of 300 fossil-fuel burning, carbon-spewing vehicles to EVs.

“We’re extremely honored to have a partner like NBC Universal Studios work with us to help make our environment a sustainable place to live,” company president Ken Chester says in a statement (.pdf) that reads like a Hollywood script. “And we commend Universal for being leaders in the entertainment industry by converting to alternative energy transportation.”

The Florida firm offers an impressive 50 models in its lineup, something it claims makes it  one of the world's leading EV manufacturers. They vehicles are limited to 35 mph and the company says they can be made street-legal in most states. The eco-friendlier rides are used by the likes of the Pentagon and the University of Mississippi, and Universal has signed up for a fleet of the company's 14-seat Kudo transporters.

Cruise Car claims its rides are good for 40 to 60 miles per charge and says the photovoltaic panel, which produces up to 180 watts at 60 volts, can boost that by one-third on a sunny day.

Solar Electric Cars Invade Hollywood

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