When we write posts for AutoblogGreen, we pretty much assume that our readers know at least a little bit about the green car world. But we're the minority - I mean, only 20 percent of the people even know about hybrid powertrains, according to one recent study - and sometimes it can be difficult to explain just what it is you're trying to drive down the road if you're going to what some might see as the extremes.

Take this story from the Coloradoan, which described what it was like for one resident of Loveland, Colorado to try and get the city to allow him to use a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) in town. When he went to the city council, the city attorney turned to the books to see what other local governments had done and discovered that, while state laws prevent NEVs on federal highways (this is a good thing), municipalities can decide whether these 25mph vehicles should be allowed on their own streets. Maybe. There's the tricky issue of whether or not NEVs could be allowed to cross state and federal highways.

With the NEV discussion going on and the issue of three-wheelers getting attention in Ohio and South Carolina - and more green car legal issues certain to flummox lawmakers - it's time to think about standardizing the laws regarding the cars we cover here on AutoblogGreen. There are enough hurdles for these vehicles to cross without bizarres laws that change from city to city. h/t to Chris!

[Source: Coloradoan]

Photo by Mayr. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0. Yes, I know it's not the UK.

The RAC Foundation (a UK organization dedicated to "protecting the interest of the motorist") warned that the idea of a town with a 20 mile per hour speed limit would grate many drivers, and they're right. But, the UK car supermarket group Motorpoint conducted a survey about the reduced limits and found that two in five British drivers - about 12 million people - would "welcome" a lowered speed limit in their town. We'll see if any of them move to Portsmouth to prove their point. In most American towns, after all, residential streets have 25 mph speed limits. There is a proposal from the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety to make 20 mph the mandatory standard in all residential areas in Britain in order to reduce the number of people who are killed on British roads (currently 3,100 a year).

There is also a green angle to this. We know that neighborhood electric vehicles are not the fastest cars on the block. Forcing all in-city traffic to go 20 mph would mean that NEVs can hold their own, something that should help NEV adoption rates in the UK. Press release after the jump.