Low Speed Vehicles For Neighborhoods and Community Environments
GEM offers a variety of electric low speed vehicles (LSVs) that are perfect for neighborhoods and community environments. These four wheel motor vehicles are often referred to as neighborhood electric vehicles or neighborhood cars and they meet federal standards for low speed vehicle regulations.
They are street legal on most roads 35 mph or less, follow federal safety requirements and have a maximum GVWR of 2,500 lbs.
Legality
Low speed vehicles (LSVs) are street legal, four-wheeled vehicles that travel at a max. speed of 25 chinese electric car company mph and have a gross vehicle weight rating under 3,000 lbs. They are typically electric and must adhere to federal safety and performance standards. These vehicles are ideal for urban and community environments, navigating crowded roadways, shuttling people around campus and business centers, and providing access to downtown activities.
Current NHTSA regulations establish that golf cars and neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) with a top speed of 20 miles per hour or less are not considered “motor vehicles.” However, the laws of many states, including those of Florida, recognize that these vehicles have a number of characteristics that make them similar to motor vehicles.
For that reason, these vehicles are required to be registered in every state where they are operated. The registration requirements vary from state to state, but most establish that all motor vehicles must be registered unless exempted. The proposed rule will resolve the conflict between State and local laws that treat these vehicles as non-motor vehicles, on the one hand, and longstanding agency interpretations that treat them in the same manner as much faster and larger motor vehicles, on the other. The rule will remove NEVs and golf cars with a top speed of 20 to 25 miles per hour from the passenger car class of motor vehicles and place them in a new class called low speed vehicles.
Speed
Golf cars and other small vehicles operated at low speeds have been operating on public roads in increasing numbers. NHTSA has received information that such operations have resulted in some deaths and serious injuries. To address these concerns, this final rule revises the definition of a “low speed vehicle” to include a new class of 4-wheeled motor vehicles with top speeds of 20 to 25 miles per hour that are often referred to as neighborhood electric vehicles or NEVs. These small passenger-carrying vehicles (other than golf cars) are subject to a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that requires them to meet the same crashworthiness requirements as standard passenger cars.
NEVs also are required to have an ignition interlock that prevents the vehicle from being started if the operator is not wearing a seatbelt or is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In addition, they must be equipped with headlights that turn on when the vehicle’s ignition is turned to the “on” position and that shut off when the vehicle is switched to the “off” position.
Most states that statutorily authorize the operation of low speed vehicles require that they comply with these Federal standards. In fact, only Oregon and Colorado’s laws do not explicitly refer to these federal standards. All of these states, along with the District of Columbia, require that low speed vehicles be registered.
Registration
While state and local laws vary, all states that statutorily authorize the operation of low speed vehicles require them to be registered. Additionally, many of these states explicitly low speed vehicles reference federal requirements in their motor vehicle laws. For example, the law of Kentucky requires that a golf cart converted into a low speed vehicle must be inspected and assigned a VIN at an automobile inspection station prior to being able to be plated and used on public roads.
Historically, NHTSA’s interpretations of the definition of “motor vehicle” excluded 4-wheeled, non-passenger carrying vehicles with a top speed capability of 20 to 25 miles per hour from the passenger car class of motor vehicles and placed them in a new category of small, four-wheeled vehicles subject to a separate set of Federal safety standards known as Standard No. 500, Low-Speed Vehicles. Bombardier Corporation asked that NHTSA change its long-standing interpretations and include these vehicles in the category of “motor vehicle.”
The final rule eliminates the distinction between LSVs and trucks and removes conventional golf cars from the class of vehicles not subject to Standard No. 500 while requiring that these vehicles meet the truck FMVSSs and not the passenger car FMVSSs. It also clarifies that the requirement that LSVs must have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) less than 2,500 pounds is not intended to preempt any state or local requirements relating to their size, speed, and design.
Restrictions
The vast majority of states allow low speed vehicles to operate on roadways posted 35 mph or slower and follow federal safety standards. These vehicles are typically electric and can travel at a maximum speed of 25 mph.
To address concerns that the current interpretations and vehicle classifications could subject low speed vehicles to requirements they cannot meet, this final rule creates a new class of motor vehicles called “low-speed vehicles” that are defined as four-wheeled motor vehicles other than trucks (LSVs) that (1) have a maximum speed in one mile on a level surface of at least 20 miles per hour but not more than 25 miles per hour; (2) can be operated on roadways posted with speeds of 35 mph or less; (3) have a GVWR of no more than 3,000 pounds; and (4) are equipped with a cargo bed.
In this class, LSVs may not be designed or manufactured to exceed the performance requirements in effect for multipurpose passenger cars, buses, and trucks, but they can be modified for more work oriented functions without losing their ability to operate at low speeds. This approach allows manufacturers to produce vehicles that can provide an alternative to trucks or traditional cars for use in a wide variety of situations, while preserving the capability of low-speed vehicles to serve their basic function of transporting people over short distances within controlled operating environments.
