What is a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle?

Neighborhood Electric Vehicles are battery powered electric cars that fall into the federal standard for Low Speed Vehicle. LSVs are 4 wheeled vehicles that are speed limited to a maximum of 25mph and must have a minimum top speed of 20mph. In the United States most states allow Low Speed Vehicles to travel on roads that have a speed limit of 35mph or less. If you'd like to see the full federal specification for LSVs click here.

A Neighborhood Electric Vehicle is a battery powered electric car, like the GEM car, that meet the above specifications. While being restricted to roads with a 35mph maximum speed makes these electric cars of limited use to people living in rural and suburban areas, these vehicles can provide a low cost (for fuel) option for people living in heavily developed urban areas. They are also an option for college campuses and in golf cart communities.

They can be bulk purchased for fleets and make excellent vehicles for business campuses, security vehicles for any large complex or shopping mall parking lot and even are used by police in some cities for specific uses like parking enforcement. Due to their electric power they can even be used indoors for transportation in large buildings and warehouses.

The safety requirements for these vehicles are not the same as highway capable vehicles, please see our article on electric car safety standards for more information on this topic.

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