Here comes the electric vehicle! The Pope has one, apparently tricked out in fancy Italian leather. The Washington Nationals have a fleet of them for a variety of uses around their LEED certified ballpark. Security guards and facilities personnel across a growing number of college campuses are driving them. And, as recently reported on PSFK, the US Army is leasing 4,000 of them to help the military achieve its goal of reducing emissions by 20% over the next four years.

Made by Global Electric Motors, a subsidiary of Chrysler, these puppies are street legal (on roads up to 35 mph) and have a range of 30-50 miles on one charge. Plug them into a standard socket, and the GEM will charge fully in 6-8 hours.

The old iconic image of the Army Jeep might soon be replaced by what some are calling a glorified golf cart. Hard to imagine Patton giving a “go give ‘em hell” speech to his troops from a GEM, but we’re glad to see the Army going green!