BP America Inc., the largest oil and gas producer in the United States and one of the largest investors in alternative energy, made a gift of a solar-powered all-terrain electric vehicle to the Lakeshore Nature Preserve at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

It was handed over to the preserve July 7.

The electric vehicle, equipped with a 48-volt battery system and a 185-watt PV solar panel manufactured by BP Solar at its Maryland facility, will be used to move staff and equipment around the 300-acre preserve. The preserve stretches across more than four miles of Lake Mendota shoreline, from near the Memorial Union Terrace on the east to Shorewood Hills Village on the west.

"The Lakeshore Nature Preserve is delighted to accept this electric utility vehicle from BP," says professor Ray Guries, chair of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve Committee and chair of the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. "We know from experience that electric vehicles are energy efficient and convenient, and their quiet operation is a big plus for moving around a nature preserve. We are grateful for BP's support for clean energy as well as their support for the Lakeshore Nature Preserve."

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