Electric vehicles shuttle VIP guests at Green Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC

The energy at tonight's Green Inauguration Ball will be electric -- and so will the vehicles that shuttle VIP guests.  Although there's no word whether President-elect Barack Obama and First Lady-to-be Michelle Obama will switch from a bullet-proof limousine to one of the fleet of GEM electric cars.

It's a vote for energy efficiency as well as for American-made, since Global Electric Motorcars -- better known by its initials GEM -- is based in Fargo, North Dakota. 

The eco-friendly Green Inaugural Ball  is billed as a "100% organic celebration"  to clebrate individuals and organizations working to improve the environment.  It's being held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, close enough to the nearest Metro train station to walk, but not if you are wearing a floor-length evening gown.

GEM vehicles are found most often on golf courses, corporate, medical and university campuses, sprawling vacation resorts, and in planned communities such as for retiremees .  Since they have a top speed of 25mph, they are not street legal for highways, roads or streets rated over that speed. GEM has nearly 40,000 of these neighborhood electric vehicles -- NAV for short.

These plug-in vehicles drive the equivalent of 150 miles per gallon and produce zero tailpipe emissions, leaving almost no carbon footprint. To date, GEM cars have been driven over 300 million emission-free miles, and have saved over 15 million gallons of gas. They have also prevented over 180 tons of ozone-producing pollutants from reaching the air.  This is very green!

Green VIPs are being shuttled in six passenger GEM e6 models being provided by e-Cruzers.com.  Four-passenger  GEM e4 models provided by Phohanka Chrysler Dodge of nearby Leesburg, Virginia, are being displayed inside the ball hall.  GEM is a division of Chrysler LLC, by the way.