Notre Dame recently purchased four Smart Cars. One of the high-efficiency vehicles is being used by Mail Services while the other three are being used by the Development staff located in Eddy Street Commons.
“We just got our Smart Car and we’re very excited,” said Carol Denney, Manager of Campus Mail Distribution. “We’re going to use it for the routes that go over to Eddy Street Commons, whereas before we had to use a van to cross Angela Road.”
“We picked ours up this week and have been very pleased thus far!” said Micki Kidder, Assistant Vice President for Development. “Because golf carts are not allowed to cross Angela Road, the Smart Cars will provide a quick, easy, and environmentally friendly alternative for our staff to travel between campus and Eddy Street Commons. We are thrilled to support the University’s sustainability efforts and provide our employees with an effective mode of transportation.”
The Smart Car is one of the most economical cars on the U.S. roads today, with an average of 33 mpg for city driving and 41 mpg on the highway. It is also classified as an ultra-low emissions vehicle. For the last several years, Transportation Services has been working to improve the fuel efficiency of the University fleet by purchasing hybrid cars and electric golf carts, while retiring old and inefficient vehicles. The Smart Cars will help to continue that trend by further raising the fleet’s average fuel efficiency.