While Venturi has cars that drive on the bleeding edge of technology and cost more than several Tesla Roadsters they have not forgotten those of us with more modest means and lesser needs. For folks with as little as €15,000 ($20,700) in pocket and no desire to cruise faster than 45 Kph (28 Mph) there is the newly revised Venturi Eclectric. You may remember the original Eclectic Concept from the 2006 Paris Motor Show with its box shape and open cockpit. This newer version is a little smaller, slightly more aerodynamic and includes doors on its accessory list.

Like its forerunner, there are solar panels affixed to the roof that can offer a couple free klicks of mobility each sunny day and an available 300 watt wind turbine that is said to be good for 13 kilometers (8 miles) when it's breezy. If you find yourself out of juice after sundown on a still night you can always plug in the on-board charger and be ready to go its battery-only distance of 50 kilometers (31 miles) in as little as five hours. Production of the neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) is set to begin in October of 2009 with as many as 3,000 units being produced each year at a new Venturi factory near Sablé-sur-Sarthe, France. You can get even more details at the Eclectic website.

[Source: Venturi]

The recent lifting of the low speed vehicle (LSV) ban in Quebec has shone the light of discovery on another electric vehicle manufacturer getting ready to go gangbusters. In Ste.-Therese, Quebec, very close to where the Chevrolet Camaro plant was once located, sits the home of Nemo. Locally designed and manufactured, their vehicle, the Must HD2 has garnered interest from 50 municipalities within "La Belle Province" as well as from individuals. Company president, Jacques Rancourt, says they've sold 15 trucks in the past week and a half since their legal status changed and now expects to move 500 units this year.

The Must HD2 sells for around $20,000, is built on an aluminum chassis and can handle a 1,000 lb payload. Being an LSV, it's limited to 25 miles an hour but has a 70 mile range. Since it's made in the North, it does has a robust heater and many options ranging from lithium ion batteries to an AM/FM radio with CD player. We think it's a pretty cool looking truck, seemingly capable of handling a range of chores and so we wish the makers of this little brute, "Bonne chance!".


[Source: Nemo / Canada.com]

Yesterday, government officials in Quebec passed an ordinance to allow neighborhood electric vehicles on the streets. Well, ok, not on just any street.

The NEVs are only allowed on roads with a speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour or less. They must have a triangular sign attached to the rear showing that it is a slow-moving vehicle. And they must not be driven on roads with a slope of 15 per cent (8.5 degrees) or higher.

For anyone familiar with NEVs, however, these regulations are pretty standard. They are commensurate with the performance capabilities of the vehicle.

This is great news for ZENN Motors Co., one of the major manufacturers of NEVs, considering that they are based in Canada. Finally, more Canadians can enjoy the pleasant bliss of a leisurely-paced electric vehicle for all their in-town needs.

The price of gas is getting out of hand everywhere. Ok, maybe not Venezuela, where its cheaper than our bottled water at ¢15 a gallon, but almost everywhere else, it's expensive. In the Philippines its so costly ($4.50 gallon in a country where, according to the Philippine National Statistics Office, the average household income is about $4,000 USD a year) that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has started testing neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV) with the goal of putting them into regular action.

The customized vehicle can accommodate 4 adults and comes with a police light bar and "Polis" markings. There are no gears to shift, so operation is simple. With a top speed of 30 km/h (slow) they won't be involved in any high-speed chases but they're still adequate for routine patrols and providing police visibility. The force is also considering implementing bicycles.

[Source: Inquirer.net]

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]

The Daily Times of Pakistan reports that the Canadian manufacturer of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles Dynasty Electric Car Corporation has been sold to Pakistani automaker Karakoram Motors. Dynasty General Manager Danny Epp told Canadian Broadcasting that limitations on the use of NEVs on Canadian roads along with the strong Canadian dollar contributed to the decision by the owner to sell the company. Dynasty has been manufacturing thirty to forty vehicles per year. Karakoram Motors assembles and markets light duty trucks in Pakistan.

[Source: Daily Times of Pakistan]

TechnoRide, 'the car site for tech fans,' has managed to score a Zenn electric car for review. They seem to have had a good time with the NEV, calling it "impressive." They do, however, note a few issues with the vehicle, which are to be expected, including a lack of luxury features and excessive noise. The reviewer had no problem getting up to the Zenn's max-speed of twenty-five miles per hour and mentions that it's capable of more if it weren't for that electrically-limited speed regulation system.

TechnoRide also makes mention of the solid state electrical storage system from EEStor, which we are all still waiting to hear more about. The review echoes news that the Zenn with EEStor system should be available in 2009, and we remain hopefully optimistic that this is indeed the case. We're not forgetting that we've yet to see any demonstration of the capacitor-based system.

[Source: TechnoRide]

Neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) are about to get their status upgraded in British Columbia. Currently, NEVs are lumped with tractors in the slow-moving vehicle category which means, like tractors, they can drive on public roads with speed limits up to 50 KPH (31 MPH) as long as they have an "overhead amber light" and a large orange triangular sign displayed. Oh, and the four-way flashers must be blinking just for good measure.

New legislation this Spring will impact potential drivers of these vehicles (like the Zenn car pictured above) in two ways, according to an article in the Times Colonist. First they won't have to be decked out like tractors and second, they will be allowed on any road in the province with a speed limit of 40 KPH (25 MPH) and on some roads with a 50 KPH limit if it is in a municipality that will allow the higher limit. That may be good for electric-car friendly cities like Saanich but not so good in Victoria, where Mayor Alan Lowe believes that NEVs could impact traffic flow and might "cause even more greenhouse-gas emissions by putting on your brakes more often."

[Source: Times Colonist]

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.

Remember last year when we posted the video Infinity Miles per Gallon? In that video, Art Haines of Applied Robotics Company set out to build a solar powered electric car ... and succeeded. At the time, we lauded the independent thinking that Haines clearly showed in the project. The story was far from over, however, as Haines is now offering his unique solar NEV in kit form from his website, sunnev.com. So far, five of the kits have been ordered and Haines is working to get them shipped out now. One of those kits, a sedan with a trunk, is headed to an all-girls school in London, and another, a pickup, is on its way to La Grange, Texas.

If you are interested in reading more about the SUNN EV, visit the official website. Pricing is currently broken down into major component packages and can be found here. After assembled, an MSO will allow the vehicle to be registered in your state and the vehicle would qualify as an NEV. We're pretty high on this idea and hope that these kits find happy owners who'll enjoy never filling up their city errand-runner.

[Source: SUNN EV, Morning Sentinel]

The city received the low speed vehicles from Daimler-Chrysler when automakers were dumping NEVs to comply with the California Air Resources Board's Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate without offering full-function electric cars. The City blames budget woes for the decision to auction half the fleet. All the vehicles are in working order, though some will require a bit of work. The first two GEM cars on the block are a G-7 two-passenger model with 3,474 miles and a G-21 four-passenger model with 921 miles. Minimum bids for two-seaters begin at $1,700 and for four-seaters will start at $2,100. If you're looking to buy, contact the City Manager's Office.

[Source: Davis Enterprise]

Are high gas prices having an impact on EV sales? Yep.

Washington state news station KING5 did a report on an electric car dealership's recent sales increase. Jim Johnson of MC Electric Cars has sold more electric cars in the last month than the last three years combined. With a barrel of oil trading around $105, NEV (neighborhood electric cars) sales probably won't decrease even though NEVs have a top speed of 35, a range of around 50 miles or so and no air bags. The amazing cost savings of a penny a mile (versus fifty cents a mile for fossil fuels, according to Jim in the video) seems to have reached a tipping point with the public. The news report also says electric cars with air bags will be available the middle of this year.

[Source: KING5]

The Orlando Sentinel reports that administrator John Drury (above photo) is excited that the Tavares City Council is lifting restrictions on NEVs [neighborhood electric vehicles] and even putting in some charging stations. John says, "Wouldn't it be a fine day when people are driving NEVs to the train station, then take a train to downtown Orlando?" Corey Lamb of O-Cartz, which rents electric vehicles in Orlando for $3 a ride, says, "This is the way of the future. ... They're environmentally friendly. They're fun and they're safe."

South Alabama's Baldwin County Now reports that B.J. Johnson (yes, that's his real name) of Funny Cars of Gulf Shores, another EV renter, wishes he had it as easy as O-Cartz. B.J. has to prove that NEVs won't cause a problem to a skeptic in Councilman Robert Craft, who says, "Just the fact that it's different from a normal vehicle could present danger. ... I said it last time and I'm telling you now, I think it's a bad idea that is dangerous and unsafe with the congestion problems we already have throughout our peak times of the year."

B.J., a little advice from us to you: move to Orlando.

[Sources: Orlando Sentinel, Baldwin County Now]

In a stunning example of e-sharing, we've decided to share Winding Road's eBay find of the day with our readers. Listen up: it's not stealing, it's meta... that's what's so cool about the Internet. Speaking of stealing *cough, ahem* sharing, our aforementioned find is a Chinese Smart ForTwo clone. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so all of you legitimate Smart purchasers should be very proud of your chosen auto.

Unfortunately for the Revolution EV, it appears that the quality of the copy is a bit less than stellar. You know... when making a copy of a copy it never turns out quite as good as the original, right? We're not so sure that the safety cell of the Smart was copied over intact. In fact, we're pretty sure that it was not. At least you're not likely to get into too much trouble at just 25 miles per hour. If you do make the 60 miles until your next recharge, just wait about ten hours or so for your recharge. The cost? Just under ten grand. A bargain!

[Source: eBay via Winding Road]