In seeking to obtain environmentally friendly replacement vehicles for its parking shuttle service, Cape Cod National Seashore set out to procure two hybrid-electric trams in 1998. Ultimately, battery-powered trams were delivered with multiple safety and performance problems that were never successfully remedied. This analysis examines the causes of these deficiencies and identifies several critical "lessons learned" that will assist other parks to avoid similar problems when undertaking future procurements of similar vehicles.