GE Capital Fleet Services has started construction on a customer experience and learning center that will showcase GE's portfolio of electric vehicle (EV) deployment solutions and help GE's commercial customers evaluate EVs and other alternative fuel vehicles for their fleets.
The center is being built on GE'' campus in Eden Prairie, Minn., and is scheduled to open in the spring of 2012. GE is building the facility so its customers can experience electric cars and trucks from a variety of manufacturers first-hand and analyze vehicle performance, driver experiences, service requirements and operational efficiencies with GE fleet experts. The center will also eventually feature alternative fuel vehicles powered by other energy sources.
GE's center will be composed of four major components: an education center featuring classrooms for presentations, training, and discovery workshops as well as interactive displays; a solar carport and charging center that can charge up to 11 vehicles simultaneously; an experience center and showroom to help customers evaluate vehicles in a variety of configurations; and a private half-mile driving course that will allow customers to experience a variety of cars and trucks in different driving conditions.
