Without question, we must get the North American personal vehicle fleet off oil, and the sooner the better. Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs) or Neighbourhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) are not the answer. It is a mistake to think that car makers can, or should inspire motorists to embrace these "green" machines for everyday use in street traffic among more powerful, and more robust cars, until they meet current standards.
Fully capable Electric Cars exist; the Tesla Roadster, Toyota RAV4 EV, Ford Ranger EV, Solectria Force, and several new EVs are about to launch. These are "Electric Cars" and they aren't easily distinguished from petroleum powered cars using visual or performance criteria. They look and feel like cars and happen to run on electric power. They meet, and in many cases exceed, consumer expectations of the term "CAR".
Maybe it's a matter of semantics, but words are powerful and should be used carefully in matters that have such far reaching, long term consequences. The noun "car" conjures a specific set of sensory experiences, expectations and benefits in the mind of a motorist. LSVs don't have the structure or power to meet those expectations, regardless of the type of energy they run on.
All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), golf carts, lawn tractors, and mobility scooters also move people under power of mechanical drive, and have obvious utility value. Some of these even use clean electric drive. None of these have been accepted on public roads. They don't have the performance capabilities, or crashworthiness to offer safety to the user in traffic among existing highway capable vehicles.
Consumers have fought long and hard to get automakers to build strong, safe "Cars" and we shouldn't give LSVs a free pass onto public highways just because they run on clean electric power. LSV makers need to finish their design and engineering work, to build vehicles that meet current safety standards and consumers' understanding of the term CAR, electric or otherwise. That's their part of the social contract in the car culture in which they operate.
Some argue that motorcycles, scooters and bicycles are inherently unsafe compared to modern cars. Yes. And the user is more aware of the risks. We have no doubt about the vulnerability of a person on a motorcycle. There is no pretense of body structure or equipment that might protect the user. LSVs, that resemble cars, though they lack real crash protection and mechanical robustness, will certainly mislead some users into believing that they are as safe in their shiny little vehicle as they would be in a fully tested car, sometimes with fatal results.
In summary; Four wheels and a shell do not a car make! Electric powered or otherwise.
Electric cars are indeed very unique, but also certainly have advantages and disadvantages, which even today, the production of electric cars cannot be owned by everyoneIs an electric car the same speed as a car with fuel?
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