Category Archives: MSV

Nissan Planning A Small Urban Vehicle

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Nissan New Mobility Concept

Nissan New Mobility Concept

Nissan recently announced that they are planning on introducing three additional electric vehicles besides the Leaf in the next three years.  One will be a small urban vehicle, referred to as the New Mobility Concept.  It is not known at this time what the performance parameters of the vehicle will be.  While the New Mobility Concept looks very much like a low speed vehicle, Nissan could design the vehicle to have a higher top speed than currently allowed for LSVs.  According to Nissan the vehicle could be the ideal last mile transportation solution for commuters connecting to public transit or for residents of planned communities.

Nissan’s entry into the LSV market would be an important event in the market since major auto manufacturers have not been active in the market, except for Chrysler which has operated under the GEM not Chrysler brand.  Earlier forays into the previously labeled NEV  market by the majors was essentially only to meet California ZEV mandates.  Nissan’s move appears to be part of a strategic plan to develop a robust electric vehicle product line.  Their market entry could also create more demand for NHTSA to develop a medium speed vehicle classification.  Learn more:  Reviews.cnet.com

Mahindra & Mahindra Buys Majority Stake In Reva

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Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), India’s leading producer of SUVs, recently purchased a 55% stake in electric vehicle producer Reva.  Maini Group will have a 31% and AEV LLC of California, the joint venture partner, will have 11% stake.  The deal included a $10 million cash infusion for Reva, which has produced 3,500 electric vehicles to date. According to reports, 400 vehicles were sold last year mainly in Britain, Germany and Spain.

M&M expects the Indian market for electric vehicles to grow substantially and by 2020 expect to be producing 50,000 electric vehicles annually.  Some of the new funds for Reva will be used to increase their current production capacity from 6,000 to 30,000 vehicles per year.  A consequence of this deal is that Reva’s work with GM to develop the electric mini Spark has been called off.  Learn more:  Vamban.com

Insurance Institute Wants To Restrict LSVs

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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) wants to restrict the use of LSVs on public roads over concerns about crash safety, or have the government review current LSV safety standards.  Based on results from recent crash tests, the IIHS believes the mixing of LSVs with larger , full-functioning vehicles is a recipe for more serious injuries and deaths in vehicle accidents.

IIHS GEM Crash Test

IIHS crash test simulating a GEM being hit by an SUV

The institute recently conducted a number of crash tests including a GEM e2 simulating a side impact with a SUV traveling at 31 mph, a GEM e2 being impacted by a Smart Fortwo and similar tests with a Changan Tiger Star mini-truck.  The institutes’s position is that crashworthy enough to be on the road with larger, faster vehicles.  At the same time, the group cannot point to evidence of  “…large numbers of people being hurt or dying in such crashes.”   Learn more:  Wheels.blogs.nytimes.com

Another article on the issue provided some responses from LSV manufacturers.

Chrysler Group responds, “GEM vehicles offer customers an inexpensive, clean solution for low-speed environments and comply with (the NHTSA’s) standards for low-speed vehicles, which limit the maximum speed of the vehicle to 25 mph.”

“It’s a grave generalization to say that all LSVs are simply souped-up golf carts,” says Mike McQuary, CEO of Atlanta-based Wheego Electric Cars, which manufactures the Whip LSV. “The Wheego Whip … is a full-functioning, steel unibody automobile that certainly nobody would ever mistake for a golf cart.”

Learn more:  USAToday.com

Tomberlin Debuts Vehicles At GIS national Tradeshow

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Tomberlin debuted two electric vehicles at the GIS (Golf Industry Show) National Tradeshow held last month in San Diego.  One vehicle was their E-Motion concept car designed for what the company describes as the “Electric Close-In Commuter Class”.  Placing an emphasis on safety, the E-Motion borrows technology from the aircraft industry and includes an AmSafe Seatbelt Airbag.  According to the press release

AmSafe Seatbelt Airbag inflates in less than 90 milliseconds and, unlike automotive airbags, safely deploys up and away from the occupant, making it a safe restraint for passengers of all ages.

Tomberlin management hopes the additional safety feature could lead to the establishment of a new class of vehicles with less restrictive regulations compared to highway speed combustion engine vehicles.  In the past, Tomberlin has been a strong advocate for a Medium Speed Vehicle classification, which NHTSA has resisted establishing in large part due to safety concerns.

The other vehicle debuted was Tomberlin’s VANISH, an electric utility vehicle with full 4 x 4 shift on the fly function targeted for hunting and other utility vehicle market segments.  Additional features include independent rear suspension and 4 wheel hydraulic disc breaks.  Following a trend in the market, the utility vehicle is also a street legal LSV with 3 point seat belts and safety leg restraints, lights, signals, full brush bars and padded headrests.  – Marc Cesare
Learn more:  Tomberlin.net

Electric Vehicle Charging Station Data

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The US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicle Data Center provides a searchable database for locating fueling stations for various types of alternative fuels, including electric vehicles. Currently the database lists 521 electric vehicle charging stations. Over 80% are located in California, which has 416 stations. The only other states that are in double digits are Oregon with 26 and Texas with 10. Arizona and Illinois are next with 8 each. Twenty-four states, or just under half, have at least one recharging station. Learn more:  AFDC.energy.gov

KB Homes To Offer Houses Pre-wired For EVs

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KB Homes is offering EV charging infrastructure as an option in their “Built to Order” new home construction package.  The option would provide technology for either EVs or plug-in hybrid vehicles and would get rid of the need for homeowners to retro-fit their new home.  This option fits into KB Homes overall initiative for building homes to an Energy Star standard and appealing to the demand for “greener” homes.  Electric vehicle proponents view the development of charging infrastructure in homes and public places as an important step in allaying range anxiety and demonstrating the permanency of the technology.  – Marc Cesare

Learn more:  Blog.fleetowner.com

South Korea Opens Roads To NEVS

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In line with a previous announcement to target the development of electric vehicles, the Ministry Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs posted revisions to road use regulations that will allow for the operation of NEVs on public roads.

…NEVs, electric vehicles with less than 60 kilometers per hour maximum speed that weigh less than 1,100 kilograms, will be allowed to run on roads designated by the mayors of local administrative authorities…

In addition, NEV crash tests will be conducted at 40 km/hr instead of the standard 48.3 km/hr.  Learn more:  Koreaherald.co.kr

Tazzari Zero Revealed At Bologna Auto Show

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Tazzari Zero

Tazzari Zero City Car

The Tazzari Zero city car debuted at the Bologna Auto Show earlier this week. Aiming at the high end of the market, the stylish and sporty Tazzari Zero features a 160 Ah lithium battery pack, a range of 88 miles in economy mode and an MSRP of $29,900. The Italian made vehicle has a top speed of 56 mph which can be electronically reguated and operates on a 72 volt system. Standard features include a radio and CD player, leather seats, heating system and anti-theft device. The vehicle will be available in the US in 2010 as an LSV, and will be distributed by Verdek-EV. Learn more: Autoblog Green

Comment: At that price for an LSV it will probably be purchased more by collector types or higher end buyers willing to tinker with the speed controls. If medium speed regulations are adopted, and that’s a big if, the vehicle becomes more viable but still limited to the higher end of the market or perhaps a younger demographic willing to spend extra money for the “cool” factor. – Marc Cesare

Battery Developments and Implications for STOVs

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The ongoing development of battery power holds significant potential for small, task-oriented vehicles (STOVs).  Most of the development and most discussion and analysis of battery development is in the context of powering on-road vehicles.  The crumbs off the table of this development process, however, could have a significant impact on market development of small, task-oriented vehicles.

STOVs are certainly not confined to electric power, but given the trend toward electric power in all but the off-road UTV (and derivatives) market–and that is coming, too–as well as the market drivers pushing toward electric, a focus on electric power is hardly unjustified.

In a presentation at the Industrial Utility Vehicle Technology Conference, I outlined four areas of product development that were needed to encourage market growth of the small, electric vehicle market.

  • Greater range, moving from 30-40 miles to 100 miles;
  • More power, deliverable through the adaptation of AC electric motors;
  • Faster speeds, increasing from the upper limits now of 25 m.p.h. to the 40-45 m.p.h. range;
  • Better ergonomic features, including all-weather driveability.

The ensuing years have seen improvements in all categories.  – Steve Metzger

For the full article see:  IUVMag.com

MSV and Mini Truck State Laws

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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has compiled information regarding medium speed vehicle (MSV) and mini-truck laws by state. According to the institute Kentucky, Montana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Washington currently have MSV laws. Oregon’s law will go into effect at the end of September and Colorado has a law that will be triggered by the US DOT’s setting of MSV standards. The latter may not happen anytime soon:

In 2008 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) denied several petitions to create a new class of vehicles known as medium-speed vehicles (MSVs), which would have a top speed of 35 mph. The petitioners asked that MSVs be subject to a set of safety standards greater than those applied to low-speed vehicles (LSVs) but substantially less than those applied to conventional passenger cars. NHTSA denied the petition because unlike LSVs, which are permitted to have a top speed of 25 mph and are intended for use in controlled, low-speed communities, MSVs are traveling in higher risk traffic situations and should comply with all of the safety standards set for passenger cars.

Kentucky, Montana and Colorado’s laws allow for a top speed of 45 mph for MSVs while all the other states with laws allow for a top speed of 35 mph. Learn more: IIHS.org

The following states have mini-truck laws: Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming. There is more variance in the laws for these vehicles since states classify them differently. Some are classified as mini trucks or mini utility trucks and others as utility vehicles, off highway vehicles, or even LSVs or MSVs since some mini trucks are speed restricted although many can go 45 to 55 mph. Top speeds allowed by the vehicles vary from 25 mph to a high of 55 mph, and the types of roads they can be used on vary as well. Learn more: IIHS.org