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ZENN Neighborhood Electric Car Draws a Crowd
:: 24 July, 2008
One man’s effort to minimize expenses and be more environmentally friendly, yet maintain comfort and convenience, often draws a crowd.
Ted Heggem attracts attention wherever he parks his new automobile, a ZENN, which stands for Zero Emission No Noise. It is also known as a neighborhood electric vehicle, or NEV.
Heggem usually allows extra time when he drives to Wal-Mart or his doctor, dentist or local restaurants, and is accustomed to answering questions from onlookers.
“The first question I always get is, ‘Where do you plug it in?’ This is usually followed by ‘How far can it go on one charge?’ and ‘How fast does it go?’, said Heggem.
He typically ends up giving people a look under the hood, or has them sit behind the wheel. If time allows, some might take a “test” ride.
Going Green
Heggem said he became aware that most of his commuting was well under 50 miles and began searching for a vehicle to replace a Chevrolet Malibu he used as the family second car. He came across the ZENN while doing a computer search for a vehicle that would provide him comfort and convenience, and at the same time be economical to operate.
He now often is spotted cruising along in the green low speed vehicle. Howard Foote, who recently had finished lunch at a local restaurant, was walking to the parking lot when he noticed the small car with the decal on it’s front door proclaiming that it is electric.
“There is a future in this because of the way they are gouging us with the gasoline,” he said.
Sitting in the driver’s side bucket seat, Foote ran his fingers over the steering wheel and air conditioning and radio controls. “This is something,” he said, glancing up at the opened sunroof. “Very comfortable.”
Later he took a peek under the hood, looking at the electric motor and transmission, before leaving with the statement, “Yes, this is going to be the future.”
OTHER FEATURES
The manufacturer’s specification sheet states that the vehicle comes with standard features such as adjustable seats, power windows, rear window defroster, interior heating, a digital clock and remote keyless entry. Several add- on options are available such as air conditioning, a sunroof and a radio.
Florida statutes require low-speed vehicles to be registered and insured and drivers must have a valid license. The vehicle may only be operated on streets where the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less, but may cross a road or street at an intersection where the road or street has a posted speed limit of more than 35 miles per hour.
Heggem said that with the growth of planned retirement communities in Marion and surrounding counties, he is aware of future transportation needs for individuals to do shopping and errands in an efficient and economical fashion with zero impact on the environment.
About Neighborhood Electric Vehicle
A Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) is an US term for a speed limited battery electric vehicle. NEV is a Federally-approved street-legal vehicle classification which came into existence in 1998 under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 500 (FMVSS 500). NEVs can legally move at up to 25mph and can travel on streets with a speed limit of 35 mph or less. However, Montana and Washington are the first states allowing modified electrics or NEVs to go 35 mph. These cars can legally travel on roads up to 45 mph in these states. Because of the federal law, car dealers cannot legally sell the vehicles to go faster than 25 mph, but the buyer can easily and inexpensively modify the car to go 35 mph. These speed restrictions, combined with a typical driving range of 30 miles (48 km) per charge and a typical three-year battery durability, are required because of a lack of federally mandated safety equipment and features which NEVs can not accommodate because of their design. To satisfy requirements for operation on streets, NEVs are equipped with three-point seat belts, windshields and windshield wipers, running lights, headlights, brake lights, reflectors, rear view mirrors, and turn signals. They must be licensed, and the driver must be licensed. Because airbags are not required the NEV cannot travel on highways or freeways. In many cases, doors may be optional, crash protection from other vehicles is partially met compared to other non motorized transport such as bicycles because of the use of seat belts. Some makers are starting to use doors and steel impact beams, and aluminium foam may be used to absorb energy without or sometimes it can increase the weight.
The NEV provides the American driver with an alternative to expensive fossil fuels, and an opportunity to take charge of their carbon emissions. The NEV operates on only a fraction of the fossil fuels as a standard vehicle by plugging into a standard outlet at home. By using solar or wind power to generate these vehicles, they have to the potential to run fossil fuel free. Low Carbon Fuel or LCF Accounting.
These vehicles are appropriate for communities that provide separate routes for these vehicles or generally accommodate slow speed traffic such as traditional "grid" street plans found in older urban areas. Some retirement and golf club communities are specifically designed, even including an additional "mini garage" in the house designs.
In figure, Ted Heggem parks his ZENN at a restaurant in Summerfield. The vehicle is all electric and is recharged by using a standard household outlet.
