Vancouver and Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV)

As a pedestrian friendly community, Vancouver supports alternatives to traditional motor vehicle use for getting around the city. One of these options includes the use of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV). NEVs are electrically powered, light vehicles, and are street legal on roads with a limit of 50 km/h or below. NEVs require a license plate and Provincial registration just like a car and have the basic lights, mirrors, seat belts, and horn that a car would have. They can be driven on any of the public streets of Vancouver.

As electric vehicles, NEVs are operated by a bank of batteries carried on board. To recharge, they plug into a standard household 110-volt outlet and with that should be able to carry you around town for all of your daily needs without having to be recharged until you get home at the end of the day. With a top speed of 40 km/h and options available to include additional cargo storage, these vehicles provide a viable alternative for in town driving needs throughout the year. The electric powertrain means that the usual maintenance of traditional motor vehicles, such as oil changes, adding coolant to prevent overheating, adjusting spark plugs, etc. aren’t needed.

Perhaps the most popular NEV is the GEM line introduced by Chrysler. Customers around the world are discovering how affordable and cost-effective it is to own and operate a GEM battery-electric vehicle. It cost $50 of electricity to travel 5000 kilometers with a GEM.

Being officially recognized and given access to public roads is instrumental to the success of a new transport mode. The Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) is a market leader of NEVs, based in Fargo, North Dakota.

The most feasible short-term goal is to build EVs for fixed-distance operation, as from A-to-A or A-to-B-to-A, for predictable travels would allow carrying minimal battery mass, a key variable to longer-distance travel. For the reason that the average car sits parked 23 hours a day, the future of transportation should be focused on the quick jaunts that make up most of our day-to-day driving.

The NEVs offers people a new way to drive. The all-electric NEV cars will not only change the way that you drive, but the way you live. These cars give you a way to further connect to the green lifestyle, and really gives you an opportunity to be an example for other people.