Montana raises NEV speed limit to 35 mph
Click on the photo for a high-res gallery of the AEV Kurrent factory tour
The state of Montana has just passed a law raising the speed limit for neighborhood electric vehicles from 25mph to 35mph. Montana becomes the first state in the nation to allow the increasingly common NEVs to travel at the higher speeds keeping up with regular cars on city streets. Cars like the AEV Kurrent, and Zenn will now be more practical to operate in these conditions. Washington state has also passed a similar law that has yet to be enacted. The Montana house also passed a bill providing up to $500 in tax credits for drivers who use biodiesel fuels but that one hasn't been passed by the senate yet.
[Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan 1:25PM (4/10/2008)
A few reasons why motorcycles with no crash protection still exist.
One is Assumption of Risk. Riders know motorcycles are less safe than cars and willingly assume the risk. It's the same as when you go skiing, snowboarding or play any sport. You can minimize the risk with safety equipment and training, but it'll never be as safe as sitting on your couch or riding in a car.
Two is that motorcycles are grandfathered in as a class of vehicles because they've been around as long as cars. If insurance companies and safety regulators had the power, I'm sure they'd rather ban motorcycles outright.
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ken kinkead 7:14PM (5/17/2008)
I would like to know where I can purchace one , I live in fl.
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Coldcitydweller 8:04PM (5/18/2008)
Just because LSVs don't HAVE to have all the same features as a standard car under government regulations doesn't mean they don't have any safety features. The ZENN for example is not a glorified golfcart as some people say. Check out the Microcar U.K. website link below. This is EXACTLY the same car body, manufactured in France but sold and driven in the U.K. and all over Europe (including Sweden and Finland) with a diesel/gasoline engine. You can even get it in a 4-seater model, which means we could see the ZENN coming out with a 4-seater model.: http://www.micro-car.co.uk/themc1car.htm
And these cars are already selling even at the slower speeds, so anybody who says nobody will by them is just wrong.
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bill hill 4:09PM (6/18/2008)
How many miles on a charge
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Jane 8:12AM (4/25/2007)
They need to raise the limit to match all vehicles, that will be the only way consumers will be interested in an electric vehicle.
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Phil L. 8:57AM (4/25/2007)
Yes, I too wish for a robust market of all-purpose EVs. But we aren't there yet.
The current regulatory and safety environment for new vehicles makes it virtually impossible small companies that makes cars like the Kurrent, Zenn and others to meet all new vehicle safety standards, and pay for things like crash testing.
This leaves the mainstream auto OEMs that have the technical resources and money (and we see where that's gotten us).
So we mostly end up with EV conversions of existing platforms, NEVs that have far fewer regulatory requirements, and EVs that use various methods to skirt the issue (like 3-wheelers that are legally considered motorcycles - and remember the "Feel Good Cars" renovations of old Renault Dauphines? Basically a new EV - but registered using the original vehicle's chassis, so pricey regulations didn't apply).
Meanwhile, broadening the appeal of NEVs by upping the speed limit to a still very reasonable 35 mph is a small, but useful step.
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Jimmy 9:34AM (4/25/2007)
I don't know if I'd want to be a in NEV going 35 mph. NEVs have virtually no crash protection. Observe what a 35mph impact to a barrier does to some big heavy Toyotas:
http://www.safercar.gov/graphics/2003/034Runner.jpg
http://www.safercar.gov/graphics/2007/05Avalon-f.jpg
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MikeW 10:16AM (4/25/2007)
and how about reasonable and prudent for the highways? [again]
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Phil L. 11:41AM (4/25/2007)
Of course, it's still a NEV, so highways are out of the picture.
One item this does bring up: Realistically, how safe is a 25 mph NEV when on a 35 mph road (which is how most current laws are written)? Is the situation improved when the NEV can go 35 mph?
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Kardax 2:24PM (4/25/2007)
NEVs aren't subject to the same safety rules as normal cars, which is why they have low speed limits. An accident you could walk away from in a normal car could kill you in an NEV.
I don't see this as a barrier to general EV development: smaller companies can use NEVs to build revenue and thus finance safety testing on future models (like ZAP is apparently doing). Companies with stronger financing can can afford the safety testing and aren't impeded at all (Tesla, Phoenix).
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Rick 2:56PM (4/25/2007)
What about families? I always see these tiny cars as two doors. How many neighborhoods have singles or childless couples?
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ZENN 3:03PM (4/23/2008)
There is no mechanical reason that prohibits the ZENN NEV from going more then 35 mph. It's always been interesting that motorcycles (which have no protective enclosure) can operate on any road and are relegated to the same speed restrictions as automobiles which have extensive (and regulated) safety features.
It's also interesting that in both cases speed laws are set by government but the onus to operate the vehicle safely and within the speed limit is not set by the manufacturer before the vehicle leaves the factory, but is up to the vehicle operator. Why then would the operator of a ZENN NEV not be held to the same level of responsibility?
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Gayle 11:19PM (5/01/2007)
The motorcycle comparison got me thinking. Motorcycles are very FAST and dangerous, yet laws do not place many restrictions on them. I wonder if there will be a day when the higher speed NEVs will be acceptable as long as drivers wear a helmet.
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Max 4:03PM (5/15/2007)
I live in Montana and am quite interested in purchasing an NEV. However my local constabulary will be confused. I'd like to keep a laminated copy of the new Montana legislation in NEV with me. Does anyone have a link to the new law or at least the bill number of the legislation?
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CJ Citizen 6:04PM (11/26/2007)
For commuting in urban areas EV's are the ONLY sensible alternative, since our so-called leaders in most cities don't have the spine to create truly useful mass transit solutions. Nobody is going full speed to and from work in our cities, and the crash picture scare tactic is baloney. These cars are for neighborhood commuting, and therefore are ideal for use in our congested cities. I live 9 miles from work and it takes an hour to get there. Thats 6 1/2 minutes per mile. Many younger folks RUN a mile faster than that. However, for those 3 block areas where traffic loosens up and goes the blistering rate of 30-40 MPH, I don't think an EV will hold anybody up, or cause multip[le fatality death rates. Remember how much the death rate dropped when Jimmy Carter made the speed limit 55?
Going slower will actually increases the amount of available reaction time, so it's all positive.
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Tom Cosgrove 7:38PM (11/30/2007)
My understanding of federal law that created the classification of a low speed vehicle limits them to 25 mph. If a vehicle exceeds this limit they no longer fit the definition of a LSV and would be required to meet the safety standards required of conventional cars, including side crash impacts. NEVs currently produced cannot meet that standard, so they would not be allowed on public roads.
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