Reva Car Club
The Reva electric car club is a free club for anyone who owns or is interested in Reva electric cars
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Neighborhood Electric VehicleA neighborhood electric vehicle - or NEV - is a speed limited electric vehicle designed for inner city use in the United States and Canada. In Europe, there are very different regulations for small electric vehicles that are covered by Quadricycle legislation. In Canada, the legislation is similar to the United States and is covered under the Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) classification. Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) is a Federally-approved vehicle classification that is now accepted by most States across the US. At present, NEVs have a top speed of 25mph and can travel on streets with a maximum speed limit of 35mph. In Montana and Washington, however, NEVs can have a top speed of 35mph and travel on streets with a maximum speed limit of 45mph. Whilst this does restrict the practicality and use of a neighborhood electric vehicle, they have gained acceptance for many uses - both for commercial vehicles where NEVs are often used for local area deliveries, and for private transport, where NEVs can be a useful second car for commuting through busy cities. NEVs are especially popular in California, where customers receive a grant towards the purchase price of their vehicle and where many cities now have free parking and public charging points for electric vehicle owners.
Technically there is no reason for a maximum speed of 25mph. Whilst car dealers cannot currently sell NEVs to go faster than 25mph outside of Montana and Washington, many owners have modified their NEVs to travel faster - typically at speeds of up to 35-40mph. Because of the potential environmental benefits of electric vehicles, a number of States are now planning new legislation to either remove or increase NEV speed restrictions, creating a new class of vehicle often referred to as Medium Speed Electric Vehicles (MSEV or MSV). NEVs can only be driven by people with full driving licences and must be registered and insured in the same way as normal vehicles. However, they do not require annual inspections and are exempt from some taxes in some states. NEVs are equipped with three-point safety seat belts, windshields and windshield wipers, running lights, headlights, brake lights, reflectors, rear view mirrors and turn signal indicators. However, Neighborhood Electric Vehicles do not conform to the same safety legislation as cars in the United States and do not come with airbags and in many cases have limited crash impact protection. There is slightly different legislation for NEVs in different States within the US. If you are considering using an NEV, you will need to check with your local dealer what the legislation is for your area. States that have passed legislation allowing the use of NEVs include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana*, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland*, Minnesota*, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico*, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon*, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington State. *States marked with an asterisk allow the use of NEVs to be regulated by local authorities. In some cases, local authorities may prohibit the use of NEVs on highways within their jurisdiction. What Neighborhood Electric Vehicles are available?
There are a large selection of neighborhood electric vehicles available from a number of different suppliers. Shown here is not an extensive list, but does show some of the variety that is available. Products range from modified golf carts through to fully fledged cars and small commercial vehicles. Some - like the Kurrent and the GEM - have been designed from the ground up as an electric vehicle, others - like the Miles ZX-40 - have taken existing petrol vehicle designs and converted them to electric power. The biggest manufacturer is GEM, which is owned by Chrysler. GEM make a number of small, low cost vehicles with a choice of 2, 4 or 6 seats, plus a number of truck variants. The GEM cars are popular in gated communities and as hospitality vehicles and have even found favor with the police, where they are used as community support vehicles.
Commercial VehiclesThere are a number of NEV Commercial Vehicles available, ranging from small vans to light trucks. These are ideal for local applications such as downtown deliveries, maintaining parklands, or for working around a campus or gated community.
Are there any alternatives to an NEV without the restrictions?If you like the idea of a neighborhood electric vehicle, but are put off by the restrictions of speed and available roads, there are a few alternatives that you can consider. First of all, there are a number of three wheel electric cars available. These are legislated as motorbikes rather than cars and therefore do not have the same safety equipment as you would get in a normal car. They do have the benefit of a significantly higher speed than NEVs and are not restricted to in-town use. Performance and range vary significantly. The Zap Xebra four door sub-compact sedan and pick-up truck both have a top speed of 40mph, whilst the futuristically styled Triac two seat commuter car has a top speed of 80mph and a range of 100 miles. Alternatively, the Think City sub-compact is a fully DOT tested car which will be available for delivery early in 2009. Available as either a two seat car or a four seat car capable of carrying two adults and two children, the Think City is built to the same standards and with the same levels of safety equipment that you would expect in a normal car.
Are NEVs available in Europe?The legislation for Europe is considerably different from the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle legislation in the United States and Canada - and significantly less restrictive. Quadricycles, as they are called, are low powered vehicles. Most of them are not speed restricted, however, and in many European countries can be driven without a driving licence.
In London, England, there are approximately 2,000 small electric cars and small vans on the roads. The best selling of these is the Californian-designed Reva-i city car (known as the G-Wiz in England). The Reva-i has a top speed of 50mph and a range of either 48 miles or 70 miles depending on which batteries are used. |
NEVs are also popular in a campus environment - at colleges, on military bases, airports and gated retirement communities, where small size, ease of handling, low speed and near silent operation is appreciated and driving range is typically not an issue.
As a consequence, small electric vehicles have had a much bigger take-up in a number of European countries. Many cities have free charging points available for electric cars and many countries have
provided tax concessions for people who drive electric vehicles.
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