Neighborhood electric vehicle - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) is a U.S. denomination for battery electric vehicle

Battery electric vehicle

A battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. BEVs use electric motors and motor controllers instead of, or in addition to, internal combustion engines for propulsion.A battery-only electric vehicle or...

s that are legally limited to roads with posted speed limits as high as 45 miles per hour (20 m/s) depending on the particular laws of the state, usually are built to have a top speed of 30 miles per hour (13 m/s), and have a maximum loaded weight of 3,000 lbs. NEVs fall under the United States Department of Transportation

United States Department of Transportation

The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...

classification for low-speed vehicles.

A NEV battery pack recharges by plugging into a standard outlet

Outlet

Outlet may mean:* An electrical outlet* An outlet store or outlet mall* The pelvic outlet* A type of instance variable used for graphical user interface programming in the OpenStep / Cocoa environment* Outlet, Ontario, a community in Canada...

and because it is an all-electric vehicle it does not produce tailpipe emissions. If recharged from clean energy sources such as solar

Solar power

Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...

or wind power

Wind power

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....

, NEVs do not produce greenhouse gas emissions. In the state of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

NEVs are classified by the California Air Resources Board

California Air Resources Board

The California Air Resources Board, also known as CARB or ARB, is the "clean air agency" in the government of California. Established in 1967 in the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air Sanitation and the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board, CARB is a department within the...

(CARB) as zero emissions vehicles (ZEV) and are eligible for a purchase rebate of up to $1,500 if purchased or leased on or after March 15, 2010.

U.S. regulations

Low-speed vehicle is a federally approved street-legal vehicle classification which came into existence in 1998 under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 500 (FMVSS 500). There is nothing in the federal regulations specifically pertaining to the powertrain.

Low-speed vehicles are defined as a four-wheeled motor vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight rating

Gross vehicle weight rating

A gross vehicle weight rating is the maximum allowable total weight of a road vehicle or trailer when loaded - i.e., including the weight of the vehicle itself plus passengers, and cargo....

of less than 3000 pounds (1,360.8 kg) and a top speed of between 20 mile per hour. Those states that authorize NEVs generally restrict their operation to streets with a maximum speed limit of 35 or. Because of federal law, car dealers cannot legally sell the vehicles to go faster than 25 mph (11.2 m/s), but the buyer can easily modify the car to go 35 mph (15.6 m/s). However, if modified to exceed 25 mph (11.2 m/s), the vehicle then becomes subject to safety requirements of passenger cars.

These speed restrictions, combined with a typical driving range of 30 miles (48.3 km) per charge and a typical three-year battery durability, are required because of a lack of federally mandated safety equipment and features which NEVs can not accommodate because of their design. To satisfy federal safety requirements for manufacturers, NEVs must be equipped with three-point seat belt

Seat belt

A seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...

s or a lap belt,windshield wipers are not required, running lights, headlights, brake lights, reflectors, rear view mirrors, and turn signals. In many cases, doors may be optional, crash protection from other vehicles is partially met compared to other non motorized transport such as bicycles because of the use of seat belts.

State regulations

Regulations for operating an NEV vary by state. The federal government allows state and local governments to add additional safety requirements beyond those of Title 49 Part 571.500. For instance,the State of New York requires additional safety equipment to include windshield wipers, window defroster, speedometer, odometer and a back-up light. Generally, they must be titled and registered, and the driver must be licensed. Because airbag

Airbag

An Airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is an occupant restraint consisting of a flexible envelope designed to inflate rapidly during an automobile collision, to prevent occupants from striking interior objects such as the steering wheel or a window...

s are not required the NEV cannot normally travel on highways or freeways. NEVs in many states are restricted to roads with a speed limit of 35 mph (15.6 m/s) or less.

Community design

Some communities are designed to separate neighborhoods from commercial and other areas, connecting them with relatively high speed thoroughfares

Arterial road

An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...

on which NEVs cannot go, legally or safely. As a result, these vehicles are most common in communities that provide separate routes for them or generally accommodate slow speed traffic.

Some communities designed specifically with NEVs in mind include:

Celebration, Florida
Celebration, Florida
Celebration is a census-designated place and a master-planned community in Osceola County, Florida, United States, located near Walt Disney World Resort and originally developed by The Walt Disney Company...
The Villages, Florida
The Villages, Florida
The Villages is a master-planned age-restricted retirement community located mainly in Sumter County, Florida, United States, but also includes portions of Lake and Marion counties. The community is controlled by several Community Development Districts , most of which are controlled by H. Gary...

Other communities that permit NEVs:

Put-in-Bay, Ohio
Put-in-Bay, Ohio
Put-in-Bay is a village located on South Bass Island in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. Many believe that the name originates from some early maps of South Bass Island that showed the harbor being named Pudding Bay, probably because it was shaped like a pudding sack. The...
Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California
Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California
Playa Vista is a neighborhood located located on in the northern section of Westchester in the western area of Los Angeles, California, north of LAX...
Lincoln, California
Lincoln, California
Lincoln is a city in Placer County, California, United States located in the metropolitan area of Sacramento. The population was 42,819 at the 2010 census, with a growth rate of 282.1 percent since 2000 , making it the fastest growing city in the U.S...
Coronado, California
Coronado, California
Coronado, also known as Coronado Island, is an affluent resort city located in San Diego County, California, 5.2 miles from downtown San Diego. Its population was 24,697 at the 2010 census, up from 24,100 at the 2000 census. U.S. News and World Report lists Coronado as one of the most expensive...
Leaf Rapids, Manitoba
Leaf Rapids, Manitoba
Leaf Rapids is a town in north west Manitoba, Canada. The town was developed as an experimental model; a model that other northern communities could replicate as they strove for modern convenience and luxury in a northern environment...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

Sales

In January of 2009 the U.S. Army has announced that it will lease 4,000 Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) within three years. The Army plans to use NEVs at its bases for transport of personnel and for security patrols and maintenance and delivery services.

Examples

BugE
BugE
The BugE is a one-passenger, three-wheeled battery electric vehicle designed by Mark Murphy of . Its design goal was to create a simple, low cost personal mobility vehicle that could function in a four-season environment on city streets." It can reach up to 40 mph in standard form, so it is usually...
Columbia ParCar Summit LSV
CT&T
CT&T United
CT&T United is the world's largest manufacturer of battery electric vehicles including the eZone Medium Speed Vehicle and cZone low-speed vehicle based in South Korea...
Global Electric Motorcars
Global Electric Motorcars
Global Electric Motorcars , a wholly owned subsidiary of Polaris Industries, is a U.S. manufacturer in the low-speed vehicle category, producing neighborhood electric vehicles since 1998 and has sold more than 45,000 GEM battery-electric vehicles worldwide as of December 2010.Until June 2011, GEM...

(GEM
GEM
-Broadcasting and entertainment:* G.E.M., a pop singer from Hong Kong* GEM , an Australian free-to-air TV Channel* Gem , stylized as GEM, an indie rock band from Utrecht, The Netherlands...

)
The Kurrent
The Kurrent
-Electric motor:Its power comes from 4.1 kW electrical motor and powered by four 12 volt lead–gel sealed batteries . It also has a battery to power optional equipment.-Concept and range:...
Miles Automotive Group
MIT Car
MIT Car
The MIT Car is a concept car project conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, for the purpose of exploring the idea of urban mobility. This intensive study on advanced human traveling has been in progress since 2003...
Mycar
Mycar
Mycar is an electric vehicle originally produced by EuAuto Technology Limited based in Hong Kong. The company had its manufacturing facility in Dongguan, China....
Oka NEV ZEV
Oka NEV ZEV
The Oka NEV ZEV is an electric Neighborhood Electric Vehicle converted from a VAZ-1111 Oka to be sold in the US market by Oka Auto USA. The Oka NEV ZEV can be bought pre-made or in kit form.-Public Appearances:...
Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility
Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility
The Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility is an experimental electrically powered road vehicle created by Segway and adopted by General Motors as a concept vehicle representing the future of urban transportation...

(proposed)
Polaris
Polaris Industries
Polaris Industries is a manufacturer of snowmobiles, ATV, and neighborhood electric vehicles. Polaris is based in Medina, Minnesota, USA. The company also manufactures motorcycles through its Victory Motorcycles subsidiary and through the Indian Motorcycle subsidiary which it purchased in April...

Ranger EV LSV
REVA
REVA
The REVAi, known as G-Wiz in the UK, is a small micro electric car, made by the Indian manufacturer REVA Electric Car Company since 2001...
Solar Bug (Free Drive EV)
T3 Motion, Inc.
Xtreme Green Products
ZENN (Feel Good Cars)

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