Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) Are Here for Those Not in a Hurry

With America's seemingly strong stance (for once) on becoming less dependent on oil, the concept of the electric car has been a hot one. Every big automaker is in a race to develop an electric car that can perform mileage wise and comfort wise like a regular combustion engine vehicle. While there are a number of electric/gasoline hybrids available today, the market is still a couple of years off of a fully electric driven vehicle; or is it? There are actually electric vehicles that can be purchased today but they come with certain drawbacks like low speeds. But for those of you that are not in a hurry you can get a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) from a number of manufacturers.

While the names are not household names like Ford and General Motors there are quite a few manufacturers that have a production line available today in the United States. Names like Dynasty Electric Vehicles, Green Eco Mobility (GEM) and Miles Automotive have done what the big boys have not; developed an all electric vehicle that can be purchased today. While prices vary you can expect to pay from $7,000 to $15,000 depending on the style and manufacturer you go with (source: greencar.com).

These neighborhood electric vehicles are more common than you think. In fact, you may have seen one driving around a rural neighborhood and thought it was nothing more than a golf cart on steroids. To some extent that is true. Federal laws came about with NEVs because of the growing number of golf carts that were beginning to be used in communities on an everyday basis. The golf carts lacked the most essential safety features such as a horn, windshield wipers, tail lights and seat belts. And so the NEV was born (source: greencar.com).

While the NEV will travel faster than a golf cart, it will not travel anywhere close to the speed of your average car or truck. Federal law actually limits the top speed allowed on an NEV to 25 miles per hour and only allows the NEVs to travel on roads that are 35 miles per hour and less. This is of course so that the NEVs do not impede traffic that is flowing at a much higher pace (source: greencar.com).

Along with the speed being missing from these vehicles, so too are a lot of style and comfort you get in a bigger vehicle. You can buy an open-air NEV which has no doors (though optional doors can usually be purchased) or an enclosed NEV which looks more like your typical car only smaller. Those that have an open-air NEV may enjoy it more in the summer time, but if the weather gets cold or it rains you won't be using your NEV for anything. The enclosed NEV does offer the protection from the elements, but in such a small vehicle you may feel just a bit claustrophobic (source: greencar.com).

But for those of you not in a hurry a NEV may be what you need. Many businesses and communities that have no need for a fast travelling vehicle, but still need to get people around are finding that the NEV more than does the trick. Besides, you not only look cool getting where you are heading, but you are also driving a vehicle that emits no carbon based pollution and is not adding to the problem of dependency on foreign oil.