“Awww, look at that little car! It’s so cute!”

Many owners and drivers of neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) have heard that while doing their daily errands, or while taking the car out for a spin if the weather’s nice. Yes, these vehicles can be cute, but they are also uniquely suited to many driving conditions. Many people misunderstand these cars, thinking of them as nothing more than glorified golf carts. And still others only look at the small size and dismiss them as something that would never work for their needs. There are many misconceptions about neighborhood electric vehicles, and as a savvy consumer, you should know the truth about these cars.

Neighborhood electric vehicles are not toys, nor are they “fancy golf carts”. NEVs are specifically designed for short runs — the car runs anywhere from 30 to 40 miles on a single charge. Instead of firing up the engine of your car, minivan, station wagon, or SUV to go to the grocery store, you can take your neighborhood electric vehicle, have enough room in the back for all your bags, then sprint back home — all without the noise of an engine or requiring any gas. In fact, the electrical consumption of an average NEV is equivalent to almost 160 miles per gallon of gas!

NEVs can be the perfect solution for you for any number of driving needs. Take the time to learn about them, and maybe you’ll find, like many others, that neighborhood electric vehicles are just what you need.

Specifically, it was legislation on the part of the US federal government that was responsible for the creation of the first set of electric neighborhood vehicles.  The year was 1998 and the Federal Government decided to pass the Federal Motor Safety Standard 500 (FMVSS 500).  Under this particular regulation, a lot of roadworthy freedoms were given to people that wanted to operate a new class of electric vehicle known as the neighborhood electric vehicle.

This class, abbreviated NEV, applied to any vehicle that had four wheels, was powered by electricity and was only capable of small speeds in the range of 20 to 30 mph.  These speeds were barely sufficient for main roads, but the fact that they were at the top of vehicle tolerance actually did make these vehicles inappropriate for many of the major roads in the country.  Therefore, the government made a deal with people that if they only operated these cars in their neighborhood (i.e. on roads with lower than 30 mph speed limits), they would be made legal.

FMVSS 500 has been in place for the last 11 years and indeed has been responsible for the rapid proliferation of these NEV products in many of the larger neighborhoods of the United States.

A good example of that is the Italcar EV.  As the name of the car implies, this little number comes from the country of Italy.  Italy is the same country that is responsible for the creation of the ultra-efficient non-electric Vespa scooters, so one can understand that they have a fine history of energy efficient vehicle creation within the borders of that country.

Another example of a NEV that is sold extensively within the United States is the REVA 2.  This is a card that is manufactured in India.  It counts as a NEV in the United States, but just about everywhere else in the world could be looked at as a quad cycle even though it does have a closed space reminiscent of a normal automobile.

Eventually, one would hope that domestic manufacturers start churning out NEVs on a regular basis while more people in the US purchase them.  Large government employers with huge complexes like the US army purchase these vehicles in large quantities, but outside of some of the larger urban neighborhoods NEVs are not that popular.