If you just need a vehicle for short trips around your
neighborhood, then you might consider buying a ‘neighborhood
electric vehicle,’ or NEV. In most states, these ‘carlets’ can
legally travel on public roads with speed limits of 35 mph or
less.
? These small, quiet and inexpensive cars can travel 25 mph for up
keep the batteries charged, you must plug in the NEV.
? The estimated annual cost to drive an NEV 100 miles a week (at 8
cents per kilowatt-hour) is only about $58.
? NEVs (as well as all electric vehicles) are marvelously
energy-efficient: More than 90 percent of the energy imparted to
the motor is turned into useful work; more than 85 percent of the
energy used to charge the batteries is stored effectively. In
contrast, the maximum theoretical efficiency of the typical gas
engine is about 30 percent; in diesel engines it is 35 percent.
This means that only a tiny fraction of that energy in a gallon of
gas actually ends up doing useful work ? the rest is wasted as
heat.
So next time you need to buy an energy-efficient vehicle for short
trips around town, give NEVs a look ? you might decide they are the
perfect choice.
Some NEV manufacturers:
? Global Electric
Motorcar (GEM)
? Cart-Rite
? Columbia
ParCar
? Dynasty
Electric Car
