NEV, which stands for Neighborhood Electric Vehicle and these are also called LSV, which stand for low speed vehicle, as they normally top out around 25 mph. There are a few of these cars already on the used car market, and they can be found for sale on eBay.
NEV is a street-legal vehicle classification that was federally approved in 1998 under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 500, defined as a four-wheeled motor vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 2,500 pounds and a top speed between 20-25 miles per hour. Generally the States that allow NEVs limit their use to streets with a maximum 35-45 mile per hour speed limits. Because of the law, car dealers are not allowed to sell NEVs that exceed the 25 mph. To cover the street legal operation, the NEVS are equipped with standard safety equipment, brake lights, seat belts and headlights, but may not be required to have doors. To be driven on the streets, the vehicle and driver must be licensed and registered.
There was a need to develop a green solution for a low speed NEV, that produced low or no emission. While the top speed of 25 mph, limits the electric car to suburban streets, versus interstate travel, the savings in fuel expense make it a worthwhile option for in town travel to work, the bank or store, and neighborhood errands, or dropping the kids off after school. With a 50-mile range, it would need to be charged for multiple trips. Even if used as a second car, the fuel savings would pay for the electric car in a few short years.
There are now planned NEV communities evolving, such as golf course communities and private lake neighborhood that have separate cart paths and even houses with mini garages for the NEVs. Celebration, Florida is such a community and encourages the use of NEV’s because not only are the electric powered cars environmentally friendly, using only household current for recharging, but they are much quieter than normal gas-powered vehicles, and still allow drivers to go short distances to the store and beauty shop without the need for fuel. Some places are now even calling these Luxury Estate Vehicles, (LEV), because many luxury homes with large yards and acreage buy them just to use at home, and not for street purposes.
NEV’s-Neighborhood Electric Cars are affordable, as new ones can run from $7,000 up to $20,000, can carry 4-passengers, cargo, and come equipped with the recharger, normally built-in. You can find used ones a couple years old on the Internet for less than $10,000 with only a few hundred miles on them, as many people use them as a secondary vehicle, or just don’t travel far, such as in retirement communities. Buying a used one can be a great way to find out if a NEV-neighborhood electric vehicle would be a good alternative means of transportation.
NEV’s-Neighborhood Electric Cars are a vehicle that has come and gone and now come back again. In 1996, Bombardier debuted a consumer NEV for around $7,000, but was a NEV in every sense of the word. The problem then was the same as it is now; the battery configuration could be expensive. The battery cells are still expensive by gas powered automotive standards, but the average life expectancy of 3 years now, makes it something that won’t have to be replaced often and the rest of the electric car motor has fewer moving parts, and less chance of mechanical breakdown.
NEV’s-Neighborhood Electric Cars were originally built with the retirement Sunbelt communities in mind, and thus the name. Florida, Arizona and California, originally had State laws allowing the NEV’s and so federal crash tests were not mandated. NEV’s are suited for a multitude of short range trip uses, and are good in any weather, as many are now even equipped with heaters.
There are now many manufacturers of electric cars-Global
Electric Motor Cars, (GEM), which is a division of Chrysler
Corporation, Miles Electric Cars, Zap, Zenn, Dynasty and Tiger, are
just a few. As more push is on for finding an alternative fuel
transportation, the revival of the NEV or neighborhood electric vehicle may be here to stay.