San Antonio seeks to amp up use of tiny electric cars

The 2012 Mitsubishi iMiEV subcompact battery-electric vehicle goes on sale later this year with a starting price of $27,990. COURTESY OF MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA The 2012 Mitsubishi iMiEV subcompact battery-electric vehicle goes on sale later this year with a starting price of $27,990. COURTESY OF MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA Photo: Mitsubishi Motors, COURTESY OF MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA Photo: Mitsubishi Motors, COURTESY OF MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close San Antonio seeks to amp up use of tiny electric cars 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Tiny electric cars aren't just for the golf course or narrow European streets anymore.

The City Council voted Thursday to approve the use of supercompact neighborhood electronic vehicles, or NEVs, on city streets with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less. The ordinance takes effect immediately.

The small four-wheeled electric vehicles must conform to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for low-speed vehicles and include seat belts, rearview mirrors, head and tail lights, a windshield made of safety glass, a parking brake and a conventional vehicle identification number.

Owners will still have to have liability insurance, vehicle registration and display license plates.

“They look pretty cool,” said District 5 City Councilman David Medina, the chairman of the city's Public Safety Committee. “We wanted to make sure we prioritize the safety of San Antonians, but at the same time we have a lot of residents who are looking for alternative forms of transportation.”

As a gasoline-free option with no tailpipe emissions, NEVs are being touted as a green alternative.

“These were actually developed in response to people trying to use golf carts on public streets, and they weren't really equipped for that,” said Bill Barker with the city's Office of Sustainability. “They're just little, slow motor vehicles, but that's perfectly all right downtown or in a neighborhood where you don't want to drive that fast anyway.”

Barker noted the City Council came to an agreement after deciding to restrict NEVs to 35 mph or less; the state's policy is a maximum of 45 mph, but, Barker said, there was concern that many NEVs' top speed isn't fast enough to keep up with 45-mph traffic.

“What caused a lot of discussion is the state allows 45 miles per hour as the max speed limit for this vehicle,” Barker said. “Generally it's a rule of thumb in traffic safety that if a vehicle is traveling 10 miles per hour slower or faster than everybody else, that's when accidents start to happen. These vehicles that can only do 25, you don't want to mix them in with vehicles that are going a lot faster, because that creates an unsafe situation.”

Medina said the NEV issue had come before the Public Safety Committee twice before, but, he said, “there was concern as far as safety for those operating the vehicles and for all citizens in general.

“I wanted to make sure we had moved something forward to the council to keep public safety a priority for all San Antonians, but provide alternative forms of transportation in San Antonio,” Medina said.

The city estimates it will cost about a penny and a half a mile to drive an NEV compared to an estimated 10 cents a mile to drive a typical gasoline-powered car. But, Barker added, “this isn't the vehicle for a long commute. Typically, these will go for 30 miles before they need to be recharged; they just use regular electrical outlets.”

Police Chief William McManus stressed that NEVs are considered motor vehicles and all the same laws will apply.

“No texting and driving, no drinking and driving,” McManus said at a news conference to announce the ordinance.

Ernest Viesca, who owns Riverside Pedicab service downtown, said he intends to use NEVs to expand his business into courtesy shuttles featuring local advertising.

Viesca already owns an NEV, which he purchased used for about $5,000, and is using it as a vehicle (no pun intended) for advertising Guillermo's Deli.

“If there are any tourists at the Alamo that want to go to Guillermo's, they can call us, and since they advertise with us, we would take customers there for free as a courtesy,” Viesca said.

He plans on purchasing two more NEVs within the next month.

“We're just trying to open the doors for it right now, so we'll just see where it goes,” he said. “It's just the beginning.”