I came across a couple of stories in the last week that I believe are representative of two key market segments for LSVs: municipalities and universities, as well as the versatility of the vehicles.
In the first, the city of Hoboken is looking to replace full size vehicles in their parking enforcement department with LSVs. For the municipality the key factors are a significantly lower capital cost for the vehicle, drastically lower operating costs and reduced maintenance costs. A secondary consideration are the environmental benefits.
“I’m very concerned about saving money for the city of Hoboken and saving the environment and I think it’s really going to reduce costs,” said Hoboken acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer after completing her ride around town.
The vehicles will mainly be used for transporting the meter readers but their configurations will also allow them to carry the necessary equipment for booting cars.
Learn more: NJ.com/hobokennow/
In the other story Princeton University is replacing small pickup trucks with LSVs configured as utility trucks. A driving factor in their decision is the university wide goal of sustainability. They are impressed by the efficiency of the vehicles and the reduction in gas consumption that can be realized.
“Electric cars are much more efficient. They use less energy to travel the same amount of miles as a gas-powered vehicle,” said Roger Demareski, the assistant vice president for facilities for plant, who oversees the pilot program.
In order to expand the streets the vehicles can be legally driven on the university had to work with the local towns to change their LSV ordinances. Some towns only allowed LSVs on streets with a 25 mph speed limit but a shift to a 35 mph limit allows vehicle access to all parts of the campus.
In both cases the LSVs are replacing gas-powered vehicles and they represent important market segments for LSVs, especially in a slow economy. The cost savings realized by the vehicles, the environmental benefits and various federal and state funding available for these type of vehicles help drive these market segments while others may be faltering.- Marc Cesare
