Not your grandma's golf cart anymore.

Neighborhood electric vehicles, or NEVs, were born more than a decade ago in Sun Belt retirement communities.... As increasing numbers of seniors plied the streets in golf carts, the federal government stepped in to regulate the vehicles in 1998, imposing minimal safety standards. Mandating a speed of no more than 25 m.p.h., the law added requirements for seat belts, brake lights, headlights, mirrors, turn signals and windshields.

Now, with the current economy and the push for alternative fuel vehicles, these NEVs are becoming more the norm in many neighborhoods across the country. Nearly all states permit low-speed vehicles, with a range of restrictions....With prices ranging from about $8,000 for a basic model to $20,000 for some custom-built models, the market share for neighborhood electric vehicles may be limited.

“The concept is good,” said Ron Cogan, president and founder of the Green Car Institute, a California-based non-profit promoting electric, hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles. “The challenge is they’ve never been inexpensive.” Safety is another concern as the vehicles venture out onto roads and go bumper to bumper with SUVs and trucks. “These are vehicles that don’t have to meet basic federal safety standards that regular vehicles have to meet, and they are low-speed, lightweight vehicles that are mixing it up on the road with vehicles that are much heavier,” said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “The potential for disaster is there, but we haven’t seen a lot of crashes yet.”

Operating for pennies per mile, limited to 25 m.p.h. and restricted to local roads, the battery-powered buggies are quietly generating buzz. Powered by six 8-volt batteries, the vehicle has a range of 40 miles and can be fully recharged within four hours by plugging an extension cord into any outlet. Some manufacturers hope to begin marketing these vehicles in December. A growing field of manufacturers, led by Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), a Chrysler-owned company based in North Dakota, are taking it seriously. Most golf carts have a top speed of less than 15 m.p.h., so these require souping up. That opens the door to large manufacturers and custom builders to create a fleet of street-worthy low-speed vehicles.



Harmony is pleased to give its endorsement to these eco friendly "autos" but cautions the motoring public to be aware that these smaller, lighter, golf cart type "autos" are sharing the road with the normal sized vehicles. Drivers should be informed that these vehicles will be most prevalent in smaller communities such as retirement, resort, gated and vacation types. If you wish to become a driver of an NEV, check out everything thoroughly before you purchase one. You will need to know your local laws, community regulations and proper traffic laws regarding the use of NEVs. If you find this, the way to go, to contribute to the environment here's some things we found out about that:

On May 8, 2009 Scott McCredie writing in the NW Autos section of the Seattle Times at - noted that George Robertson, a Beacon Hill architect and Zenn NEV owner claims that "the 80 percent reduction in his carbon footprint over using a gasoline-powered car is worth the reduced safety." The 50 cents' worth of electricity that it costs to recharge his batteries comes mostly from hydroelectric power, a relatively clean source of energy. When Robertson bought his car in 2008 for about $18,000 (other models can be had for as low as $10,000) he was surprised that the car fulfills roughly 90 percent of his and his wife's driving needs.

In an August 7, 2009 press release at-GEM motorcars claimed that to date, GEM cars have been driven more than 350 million emission-free miles, and have saved more than 16 million gallons of gasoline. They also have prevented more than 180 tons of ozone-producing pollutants from reaching the air.

An August 20, 2009 release by GEM at – noted that all GEM battery-electric vehicle models have been certified to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the Qualified Plug-In Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit, part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Credit amounts are as follows:
* $3,751 for the GEM e2, GEM e4, GEM e6 (12-volt battery system), GEM eS, and GEM eL
* $5,002 for the GEM e6 (8-volt battery system) and GEM eL XD.

A driver who logs 12,000 miles a year in a typical neighborhood electric vehicle will save nearly $970 over a 23 m.p.g. car filling up at the current average of $2.60 a gallon. Last summer, when average gas prices peaked at $4.11 a gallon, the annual savings would have been more than $1,650, according to the GEM Web site.

So, from fairway to highway, the golf cart is finding itself being "re-born" and offering a solution to the Governments stricter vehicle MPG requirements. Remember, these vehicles still have room for improvement when it comes to safety. We can be sure that the Government will quickly address this as these low-speed vehicles make their mark on this planet.

To learn more about these souped-up buggies and to see the complete stories we mentioned in this post follow these links:

NEVs, low-speed cars dubbed "neighborhood electric vehicles" get ready for life in the fast lane.

Chicago Tribune

Gator Moto Utility Vehicles and More, LLC

Thanks for reading and don't forget to pick up some bread on your way home from the golf course.

When is a "Clunker" not a "Clunker?"

GOOD QUESTION! As one California couple found out. A recent US News and World Report (September 23 2009) story is one we may be hearing more about soon. It involves the couple turning in their 2001 model nissan, under the CARS program, for a more economical VW. Days later, while passing the dealership, they notice the very nissan they turned in, on the sales lot. Thinking they had been scammed, they inquired at the dealership as to what had happened to their Government approved "deal." The dealerships reply?
Dealer Ken O'Donnell told California's Orange County Register that the couple had misunderstood the transaction. "They came in for the cash for clunkers, but we went out and looked at the car and decided it's a pretty clean car, so we took the car on a trade-in. "We decided we're going to give them the $3,500 they would have gotten from the clunker program as the trade-in. We're not asking the government for any reimbursement."

Sound like a fair "deal" to you? Well, that seems to be determined by what you think about your Government. Posted below are some of the comments left on Orange County Register's web posting of the story.

I’m glad that this dealership saved me and the other taxpayers $3500 by not seeeking reimbursement for this car.
The sellers got what they bargained for - a $3500 credit on their new car - and there is one less clunker rebate being sent out by the government. Everyone wins.---Anonymous

My thoughts exactly. as a taxpayer, I don’t want to pay for a perfectly good used car to be junked, which is what would happened in this case under Cash for Clunkers.
better the dealer pay the $3500 out of their own pocket than mine. too bad, so sad. it would be different if they HAD gotten the rebate, and the dealer kept the car and resold it, which would be defrauding the public. but Cash for Clunkers couldn’t go away soon enough as far as I was concerned. I see no problem here.---BrianGuy

Not Really! They end up loosing and the dealer ends up winning because they were sold a car for thousands and they still turn around and sale the clunker, that's make extra money and they only end up giving them $3500, they could off given them $5000 for the car. It is been sold for $6000 plus if they finance it they are getting more money so yes I feel they did get scam, why couldn't they put it on sale for $500 dollars more they went for $2500 more witch is what they were scammed for because the sales guy new what that xterra was worth that's why they didn't seed for reimbursement cause they new they were going to make money of off them.---Ed

This has nothing to do with our tax dollars - the dealership, the private corporate dealership - mislead these people and decided they would be better off reselling the car privately than taking whatever the Feds would give them. They took advantage of an existing federal program to get people in the door. This is what happens when private insurance companies are in charge of our health care - they are motivated only by how much profit is in it for them.--icedamericano

Or maybe it just shows that when you rush a new program without taking into consideration the related consequences, loopholes, etc, this sort of thing happens. The “anointed one” rushed this program through, just like he has tried to rush the health care bill. I still wonder how many of our elected officials have read that one. Maybe instead of trying to pass so many new ideas for “change”, we should slow down and really think about whether it’s needed or just publicity stunt.--ocdisgusted

Or maybe it just shows that when you rush a new program without taking into consideration the related consequences, loopholes, etc, this sort of thing happens. The “anointed one” rushed this program through, just like he has tried to rush the health care bill. I still wonder how many of our elected officials have read that one. Maybe instead of trying to pass so many new ideas for “change”, we should slow down and really think about whether it’s needed or just publicity stunt.--Zek

So, there's just a small response to a "big" issue. Though as far as the deal itself, we feel like ALL consumers have been warned for years about reading the fine print on any piece of paper you are required to sign. Did the couple save the planet? Hardly! did the dealer save the Government tax dollars? Not really. So is this really a big issue? NO! But we do see the consumers concern.

As we at Harmony have posted before, the older cars on the highways do cause a significant danger, not only to the environment, but to the motoring public. Smoke screens from poor exhaust, stalling on busy highways, defective lighting and what if that car has not been maintained well and the brakes are faulty? Surely, these vehicles could be worth more sentimentally to some owners than the $3,500 dollars the Government is offering, but people please, if your auto needs repairs and you (and the planet) would benefit from upgrading to a newer model, TAKE THE MONEY!
Where the money , or credit towards the newer car, comes from is really a small matter compared to the hazard your "clunker" causes your fellow commuters.

For the complete story from both sources follow these links:

Couple shocked to find their ‘clunker’ is for sale.

What If Your Clunker Wasn't Junked?

Thanks for reading and remember, small print could foil a BIG deal.