Chevy Spark EV Motor Factory Gets LEED Certification

How fitting is it that the motor for the Chevy Spark EV is built in a  factory that is LEED Silver certified? Even better, that factory is located in Maryland, where Spark EV sales will begin shortly.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and is a program of the US Green Building Council. The General Motors eMotor building at the company’s Baltimore facility earned Silver LEED status recently by installing a 580 kilowatt solar panel array to the roof, installing LED exterior lighting, and switching to compact fluorescent light throughout the interior, according to a GM press release.

“Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s plants and buildings is critical to protecting our environment,” said Jean Lupinacci, acting director of the EPA’s Climate Protection Partnerships Division. “GM is addressing this in its Baltimore plant by achieving a 15.5 percent reduction in energy intensity and is leading the way by making the buildings where we work, play and learn more efficient.”

Greg Martin, executive director of Global Public Policy for GM, said the company views its sustainability activity as a way to improve the communities where it does business. “We believe reducing our environmental footprint is good for the climate and good for our business,” said Martin. “Wherever we can, we are reducing our energy use, powering our plants with renewable energy and conserving resources.”

Chevrolet has recently cut the base price of the Spark EV to $25,995 and trimmed its lease payment to just $139 a month. Federal state and local credits and incentives can reduce the cost of putting a brand new Spark EV in your driveway to as little as $14,995. Factor in the gas savings from driving an electric car and your effective cost per month could be $50 or less. That’s pretty good for a fun little car with lots of features that gets high marks from Consumer Reports.

The new low prices have ignited a mini sales explosion for GM’s smallest EV. Last month it outsold the Chevy Volt for the first time, selling more cars in April than it sold in all of 2014. Too bad the car is only available in California, Oregon and Maryland.