Category Archives: Regulation & policy

Yamaha To Recall & Suspend Sale Of Rhino Utility Vehicles

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Yamaha Rhino 660 without doors installed

Yamaha Rhino 660 without doors installed

Yesterday, Yamaha, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a voluntary recall and suspension of sales of their popular Rhino utility vehicle so dealers can make appropriate repairs.  The action affects all the Rhino 450, 660 and 700 models sold since the fall of 2003.  Consumers are urged not to use the vehicles until repairs have been made.

According to the CPSC:

CPSC staff has investigated more than 50 incidents involving 46 driver and passenger deaths in these two Rhino models. More than two-thirds of the cases involved rollovers and many involved unbelted occupants. Of the rollover-related deaths and hundreds of reported injuries, some of which were serious, many appear to involve turns at relatively low speeds and on level terrain.

The recall involves an estimated 145,000 vehicles:  120,000 of the model 450 and 660 Rhinos  and  25,000 of the model 700.

Repairs to the vehicles are designed to improve handling and reduce the chances of rollover and include inserting a spacer on the rear wheels and removing a rear anti-sway bar.  Additional hand holds and half doors will also be installed, if they have not been already.  Yamaha can be reached at 800-962-7926 or www.yamaha-motor.com.

Learn more:  CPSC


Aspen To Add NEV Charging Outlets To Parking Garage

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The city of Aspen, CO has approved a plan to add 27 electrical outlets to their Rio Grande Parking Garage so NEV owners can recharge their vehicles when parking them overnight.  Since NEVs are  no emission vehicles they are allowed to park for free and owners use them while in town during the day.

The city parks department is drawing up contracts for owners based on access charges so the charging won’t be for free.  The system is expected to be ready by the summer.  Learn more:  aspentimes.com

Canada’s Ministry of Transportation Approves LSV Test Project

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Pelee Island in Ontario will be the location for Canada’s Ministry of Transportation’s pilot project to assess the use of LSVs on public roads.  The island has no traffic lights and only a few hundred year round residents but the population swells to over a thousand during the summer.  The experiment is slated to run through 2014 after which recommendations will be made about allowing LSVs in mixed traffic.  Besides insurance and registration the vehicles will also need a slow moving vehicle sign on the back. Learn more:  windsorstar.com

Road Use Regulations Round Up

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This round up features some action in Canada, Wisconsin, Colorado and some other states as well as signs of growing interest in medium speed vehicle regulations.

Grand Chute, WI – Town asking state for help regarding the use of NEVs on some of the many roads under state jurisdiction that criss-cross the city.

Loveland, CO – House Bill 1026, which would allow neighborhood electric vehicles on public highways, passed the Judiciary Committee and will be going to a House vote.

North Vancouver, Canada – City council rejects staff recommendations to wait for additional LSV safety standards before allowing vehicles on roads.

Sedona, AZ – Public transportation commission recommends feasibility study to look at NEVs as a public transportation option.

British Columbia, Canada – Motor vehicle regulations amended to allow incidental use of roads by utility vehicles during their normal off-road use.

Kennebunk, ME – ZAP Xebra three-wheeled truck doesn’t pass registration as a motorcycle and therefore cannot be legally driven. Amendment to address issue in process.

Flower Mound, TX – Transportation commission is urged to look at LSV regulations in anticipation of increased usage of the vehicles.

Denver, CO – State Senate bill aims to create uniform road use regulations for LSVs

South Daytona, FL – After a favorable feasibility study, city officials are moving ahead on allowing golf carts to be used on city streets.

Manitoba, Canada – Manitoba province is looking at enacting similar legislation as Ontario and Quebec to allow LSVs on public roads.

Merrill, WI – City officials are drafting legislation to allow NEVs on public roads with speed limits of 35mph or less

Medium Speed Vehicle Regulations – At the end of February nine states were considering medium speed vehicle laws: Hawaii, New Mexico, Kentucky, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Georgia and Colorado. Speed limits proposed ranged from 35mph to 50 mph with most at 45 mph. Five states who have already adopted MSEV laws include Washington, Montana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

Connecticut – Some State Representatives are pushing to legalize NEVs

Phillipines Agency Approves Electric Jeepneys

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The Phillipine Land Transportation Office agreed to issue plate numbers for e-jeepneys, making them available for commercial use.  The vehicles were developed by Green Renewable Independent Power Producer Inc. (GRIPP), and the Dutch group Stichting Doen as part of their “Climate-Friendly Cities” project.  They vehicles will be assembled locally with the cooperation of Philippine Utility Vehicles Inc. (PhUV), a local group of vehicle parts manufacturers.  Powered by 12 six volt lead acid batteries, the e-jeeps can carry 14 passengers at speeds of 40km to 60km per hour.  Each vehicle costs about $13,000 (US) which is slightly less than the diesel powered versions currently in use. Learn more

Yamaha Rhino Federal Lawsuits Consolidated

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Yamaha Rhino lawsuits filed in federal districts around the United States will be consolidated for pretrial litigation in the Western District of Kentucky.  There are currently  55 different product liability lawsuits related to the Rhino filed in 33 different U.S. District Courts.  The common allegation in the lawsuits is that the side by side vehicle has defects that give it a propensity to tip over.

Most of the lawsuits in federal courts have been filed in the last year and more are expected.  If filings in state courts are included, those following the story estimate over 200 lawsuits in total are pending across the country.  Last month consumer advocates and victims of rollover incidents released a report(pdf) that covers all utility terrain vehicles (UTV) but extensively discusses the Yamaha Rhino. Learn more about the consolidation

NEVs Helped By Stimulus Bill

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The tax credit for NEVs made it into the final stimulus bill recently signed by Obama.  The tax credit is for 10% of the purchase price of the vehicle with a  maximum credit of $2,500.  Three wheel vehicles like those produced by ZAP will also be eligible.

The bill also includes $300 million for federal fleet purchases of hybrid and electric vehicles which could help NEV manufacturers. Vehicles must be replaced on a one-to-one basis, and to remove a functioning government vehicle, the hybrid or electric replacement must have an improved fuel economy at least 10-percent greater than the original. Learn more

LSVs Will Be Hurt By Proposed Changes To Plug-In Electric Vehicle Tax Credit

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The Senate Finance Committee is currently proposing changes to the plug-in electric drive motor vehicle credit by increasing the 250,000 vehicle limitation to 500,000. The bad news for LSV manufacturers and purchasers is that the changes also exclude low speed vehicles from qualifying for the credit. Instead they are creating a separate tax credit for LSVs, motorcycles and three-wheel vehicles of 10% up to $4,000. The credit will be good for vehicles sold before 2012.

Given the price ranges of current LSVs and three wheel vehicles, the changes mean a significant reduction in the tax credit for these vehicles. The original tax credit started at $2,500 and increased for vehicles with battery packs over 4KW in power. As I interpret it, a $10,000 to $15,000 LSV will now only receive a tax credit of $1,000 – $1,500, a sixty to forty percent reduction in the tax credit that would be available under the current law.

On a related note, according to people I spoke with at the Electric Drive Transportation Association, the IRS has still not ruled on the eligibility of various vehicles under the current tax credit rules .

Original story greencarcongress.com

Road Use Regulation Round Up

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Ocean City, NJ – Police urge city council to keep golf cars off city streets for safety reasons.

West Baraboo, WI – Passes ordinance allowing NEVs on low speed streets and certain crossings of state highway.

Charleston, NC – A limousine service with two Tomberlin E-merge vehicles as part of their fleet had to cease using the LSVs when the city attorneys determined the vehicles violated city code and zoning ordinance. The owner hopes the city will revisit the issue later in the year.

Wausau, WI – City amends ordinance to allow NEVs to be driven on some city streets.

Massachusetts – Legislation bans the use of NEVs on roads with speed limits above 30 mph and requires that they follow the same licensing and registration rules as cars. Additional legislation allows the Registry of Motor Vehicles to register as “motorcycles” three-wheeled electric vehicles that have standard safety equipment and travel no faster than 40 miles per hour. (i.e. Zap Xebra) Such vehicles could be registered at the discretion of the Registrar, and would be limited to traveling on public roads having speed limits of 40 miles per hour or less.

Pittsfield, IL – Ordinance proposed to allow the use of NEVs and golf cars to operate on city streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less and cross streets with higher speed limits.

Indiana – Legislation proposed to allow mini-trucks to be licensed and titled. Apparently the state’s motor vehicle department has been inconsistent in their approach to these vehicles. The department plans to title them as off-road vehicles, which allows owners to drive them on secondary roads in some Indiana counties.