A Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) is a U.S. category for battery electric vehicles that are usually built to have a top speed of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h), and have a maximum loaded weight of 3,000 lb (1,400 kg).[1] Depending on the particular laws of the state, they are legally limited to roads with posted speed limits of 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) or less (in some states 45 mph or less). NEVs fall under the United States Department of Transportation classification for low-speed vehicles.[2] The non-electric version of the neighborhood electric vehicle is the motorized quadricycle.
An NEV battery pack recharges by plugging into a standard outlet and because it is an all-electric vehicle it does not produce tailpipe emissions. In the state of California NEVs are classified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) and are eligible for a purchase rebate of up to $1,500 if purchased or leased on or after March 15, 2010.[3][4]
As of June 2014[update], the GEM neighborhood electric vehicle was the market leader in North America, with global sales of more than 50,000 units since 1998.[5] Another top selling NEV is the Renault Twizy, launched in March 2012, it was the top-selling plug-in electric vehicle in Europe during 2012, and the heavy quadricycle has sold almost 22,000 units through December 2018.[6][7]
Sales of low-speed small electric cars (LSEVs) experienced considerable growth in China between 2012 and 2015 due to their affordability and flexibility.[8] A total of 200,000 low-speed small electric cars were sold in China in 2013, most of which are powered by lead-acid batteries.[9] In 2015, sales rose to 750,000 units, and to 1.2 million in 2016.[10] As of December 2016[update], the stock of LSEVs was estimated to be between 3 million and 4 million units.[11] About 1.4 million low-speed electric vehicles were sold in 2018.[10]
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