Everything you need to know about electric micro-cars, NEVs, LSVs, & golf carts
As American cars and trucks continue to bloat, growing longer and wider decade over decade while roads and parking spaces stay the same size, there may be hope glimmering on the horizon: tiny electric vehicles. I’m not talking about small cars. I’m talking about tiny ones – micro-cars, if you will.
They’re a small but growing category of motor vehicles in the US, and they may just save us from a future of massive, energy-guzzling vehicles that can somehow plow through a playground without noticing yet still struggle to wiggle into a parking spot.
This is Part 1 of a three-part series on these useful little vehicles. In today’s segment, we’ll dive into the “what” and “why” of electric micro-cars.
From the definitions (which have so far eluded most of the industry) to the use cases (which have so far eluded most Americans), we’ll set the stage for what could be the next big wave of tiny cars. In Parts 2 and 3 we’ll cover the legality of such vehicles and the options currently on the road.
What is an electric micro-car?
Let’s start off with a few definitions to set the record straight about these tiny vehicles.
There are three commonly used terms for describing these little runabouts: micro-cars, NEVs (neighborhood electric vehicles), and LSVs (low-speed vehicles). And they’re all wrong in one way or another. Let’s explore each, below.
Low-speed vehicles (LSVs)
The term LSVs is currently the least commonly used term for these, but it’s actually the most correct. That’s because it’s the only legally defined category. LSVs are a federally mandated class of motor vehicles in the US.
They’re more or less equivalent to what are known as “quadricycles” in Europe, with the exception that European quadricycles are allowed to reach speeds of up to 80-100 km/h (50-62 mph), depending on the country, while LSVs in the US are limited to just 25 mph (40 km/h).
It is a common misunderstanding that all that is required for a vehicle to be considered an LSV is for it to have a maximum speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). In fact, that is only one of many requirements. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for LSVs have laid out around a dozen standards that mostly cover speed and required safety equipment, but that also include requirements for the manufacturer’s factory to be federally approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (as well as the factories that produce key components like the auto glass, seat belts and other important components). That’s why it isn’t enough for a small vehicle to simply have seat belts and not exceed 25 mph.
For this reason, it is actually quite difficult for new manufacturers to receive street-legal status for LSVs, though we’ll dive into the legality of these vehicles in much more detail in Part 2 of this series. It’s an important issue since many of the supposed “street legal” LSVs now being offered for sale in the US are far from actually being street legal.
For now though, suffice it to say that LSVs are a federally mandated category of vehicles that are allowed to reach speeds of up to 25 mph (40 km/h) and are allowed to drive on roads with speed limits posted up to 35 mph (56 km/h).
LSVs are not required to be electric vehicles, and many low-production-volume combustion engine models have existed over the past two decades, similar to the phenomenon of “kei cars” in Japan. But these days nearly all LSVs in the US are also electric vehicles, largely due to the simplification of manufacturing/maintenance as well as reduced regulatory hurdles associated with emissions testing.
The term LSV is really the only important term for this industry because it is the only one that is clearly defined. That brings us to… NEVs.
Neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs)
The term NEV is probably the most commonly used term in this industry, which is problematic because it doesn’t mean anything. There is no clearly defined boundary for what makes up an NEV.
The term originated before the LSV category was created by the federal government, and it largely referred to small, slower-moving electric vehicles that were similar in appearance to golf carts, yet were designed for traveling on roads and around neighborhoods instead of across the golf course. The most famous example of an NEV is likely the GEM, which started out under the Chrysler umbrella before moving to Polaris and finally to its current owner, WAEV.
The GEM popularized the concept of an NEV before the US government had created an LSV category, and thus the term NEV stuck.
The problem is that despite everyday usage, there’s no clear line drawn to determine what is and what isn’t an NEV. It’s similar to the word “truck” in its vaguery. Is an F-150 a truck? What about an 18-wheeler semi-trailer? Or a U-Haul? They’re all called trucks in common parlance, yet the Department of Transportation would beg to differ.
The other issue with the term NEV is that it implies a purely neighborhood use for these vehicles. While neighborhood and local community use is a common application, densely populated cities are quickly becoming another major market for these tiny electric vehicles.
An LSV could easily drive from Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan up to Washington Heights, a 13-mile (21 km) commute covering dozens of neighborhoods. In fact, I drove an LSV across the Brooklyn Bridge earlier this year as I travelled around NYC, highlighting the urban appeal of such small electric vehicles.
What are micro-cars?
The term micro-car has become something of a catchall. Similarly to NEVs though, there is no clear definition for the term. It is generally used more for fully enclosed LSVs than for open golf cart-style buggies like the GEM vehicles (though GEMs do have optional hard doors that make them fit better into the loosely defined micro-car category).
This door quasi-requirement is likely due to the fact that many people think of micro-cars as looking more like a conventional car, but simply scaled down into a smaller (and often cuter) vehicle.
Micro-cars can be as small as single-seaters or can even fit a family of five. I’ve driven a Chinese micro-car around Florida with my wife and our three nieces and nephews, showcasing the family-friendly nature of electric micro-cars.
Micro-cars, just like NEVs, are not a federally defined class of vehicle, and thus the term is limited largely to everyday language. For legal use, LSV is the only federally defined category of motor vehicle.
Golf carts
Golf carts are perhaps the most commonly understood of all of these categories due to their ubiquitous use on golf courses around the country.
While they can be powered by a combustion engine or by an electric motor, most golf carts produced today are electric.
They generally reach speeds of up to 20 mph (32 km/h), though can often be modified to reach speeds of closer to 30 mph. Some come with seat belts, radios, and other fancier features, but many are bare-bones vehicles designed for basic transportation.
Traditional golf carts are not street legal, though many small communities have created local golf cart ordinances to allow for their use on low-traffic roads.
Several large golf cart manufacturers have begun to produce LSV versions of their carts that have been homologated for street use. These versions, if produced to meet the LSV regulations laid out in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, can be used like any other LSV on public roads that have posted speed limits of 35 mph (56 km/h) or less.
Golf carts are generally open-air vehicles that lack doors or locking storage. This is one of their main downsides compared to micro-cars, which generally have locking doors that can provide security as well as an all-weather ride.
Use cases for electric micro-cars and small vehicles
LSVs have two main uses in the US: transportation and utility use.
For transportation, LSVs have several advantages. Many owners prefer their small size that makes them nimbler in traffic and easier to park. They can often even be parked in small spots or psuedo-spots on the edges of parking areas that a traditional car couldn’t fit into.
Their simpler design and smaller size also means that they generally cost much less than a traditional electric car, both to purchase and to charge. Some new LSVs can start at below $10,000, compared to much more expensive electric family cars.
For some people, they’re also more fun to drive due to the novelty and go-kart feel that the small size offers. The 25 mph (40 km/h) top speed can be appropriate in many cities and communities, and the slower pace is often more fun for folks that enjoy cruising around their community and seeing the smiles on faces from onlookers. This is especially true in beach communities, older resident villages, and other planned communities.
For utility, LSVs can offer many of the same benefits. Electric mini-trucks are becoming more popular in the cargo and delivery fields, especially in crowded cities that can be difficult to navigate with a larger box truck.
These vehicles can often offer similar bed sizes compared to traditional pickup trucks or small flatbed trucks, yet the entire vehicle is much smaller.
The increase in demand for electric mini-trucks has even spawned a new US-produced vehicle known as the AYRO Vanish.
Which LSVs and NEVs are street legal?
Street-legality is perhaps the most important aspect of electric micro-cars, especially as new importers and manufacturers begin to crop up.
We’ll cover this issue in-depth in Part 2 of this series, which will return this Wednesday. Stay tuned!
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Kia’s first electric sedan, the EV4, has officially hit the market. Kia opened EV4 orders at under $30,000 (41.92 million won) in South Korea ahead of its global rollout. It even has the longest driving range of any Hyundai Motor Group EV rated with over 330 miles (533 km).
Kia EV4 orders open in Korea for under $30,000
Since debuting as a concept in October 2023, Kia’s EV4 has become one of the most highly anticipated electric vehicles.
Last month, we got our first look at the production model during Kia’s 2024 EV Day (check out our recap of the event). Kia showcased four EV4 models, two sedans and two hatchbacks.
The EV4 is part of Kia’s new “EVs for all” strategy with prices ranging from around $30,000 to upwards of $80,000. After launching the EV5 and EV3, both electric SUVs, Kia aims to corner another segment with the EV4.
Kia opened EV4 orders in Korea on Monday, starting at just 41.92 million won, or around USD $29,000. With incentives, Kia expects the actual purchase price to be around 34 million won, or roughly $23,500.
Powered by a 58.3 kWh battery, the standard “Air” model is rated with up to 237 miles (382 km) driving range. The long-range EV4, starting at 46.29 million won ($31,800), gets up to 331 miles (533 km) range from an 81.4 kWh battery, the most of among Hyundai Motor Group EVs.
As Kia’s most aerodynamic vehicle yet, the EV4 has ultra low drag coefficient of just 0.23, which unlocks maximum driving range.
| Trim | Starting Price |
| Kia EV4 Standard Air | 41.92 million won ($28,900) |
| Kia EV4 Standard Earth | 46.69 million won ($32,000) |
| Kia EV4 Standard GT-Line | 47.83 million won ($32,900) |
| Kia EV4 Long Range Air | 46.29 million won ($31,800) |
| Kia EV4 Long Range Earth | 51.04 million won ($35,000) |
| Kia EV4 Long Range GT-Line | 51.04 million won ($35,900) |
With a 350 kW charger, the long range EV4 can charge from 10% to 80% in around 31 minutes, while it will take about 29 with the standard model.
The EV4 is Kia’s fourth EV to arrive in Korea, following the EV6, EV9, and EV3. As its first EV in the segment, Kia claims it will “set a new standard for electric sedans.”
As you can see, the EV4 has a unique sports car-like silhouette with an added roof spoiler, which Kia says is “the new look of a sedan fit for the era of electrification.”
Inside, the electric sedan is loaded with the latest software and connectivity. Kia’s new ccNC infotainment system, with dual 12.3″ driver display and navigation screens, sits at the center of an otherwise minimalistic setup.
For the first time, it also includes a new “interior mode, “enabling you to easily change the seating and lights to maximize interior space.
Kia’s vice president and head of its domestic business, Won-Jeong Jeong, said the EV4 “will present a new direction in the domestic electric vehicle market, which has been formed around SUVs.”
Will it have the same “charm” in the US, Europe, and other markets? We will find out soon, with the EV4 rolling out globally this year. What do you think of Kia’s first electric sedan? Would you buy one for around $30,000?
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If you’ve ever thought, “Man, I wish my scooter was faster, smoother, and had more underglow,” then Segway has been reading your mind. The company just opened pre-orders for its new Ninebot Max G3, the latest in its Max series, and it’s packing more features than ever before.
The scooter brand has long pitched Segway’s Max series as a go-to for riders who want a solid commuter scooter that doesn’t break the bank while still offering decent range and comfort. But now, Segway seems to have cranked things up to eleven—or at least up to 28 mph (45 km/h), which is a nice jump in speed compared to the previous Max G2’s 22 mph (35 km/h) top speed.
That extra speed comes courtesy of a 2,000-watt motor, giving the G3 a 0-15 mph (25 km/h) sprint of just 2.4 seconds. Not bad for a standing scooter.
And with 50 miles (80 km) of range, Segway claims its efficiency optimization, which they call SegRange, squeezes even more miles out of each charge. If you manage to drain the 597 Wh battery in a day, you can top up in just 3.5 hours (or 2.5 hours with an optional faster charger).
Hitting those higher speeds means stability is more important than ever, and Segway seems to be addressing that with dual hydraulic suspension on both ends, plus what they’re calling the SegRide stability enhancement system.
Fancy marketing names are one thing, but what really matters is how well this setup absorbs bumps and keeps the scooter planted at higher speeds. If it delivers, it could make for one of the smoothest rides in the category.
Traction and braking also get an upgrade, with Segway Dynamic Traction Control helping riders maintain grip and dual-piston disc brakes front and rear ensuring you can actually stop when needed. Segway has even thrown in an anti-lock braking system for a more controlled stop – something usually only seen on scooters and motorcycles. Bosch and BluBrake have both brought ABS to e-bikes, but it is quite rare in the standing electric scooter world.
Segway has been adding more tech to its scooters each year, and the Max G3 is no exception. The new 2.4-inch TFT smart display offers turn-by-turn navigation, real-time ride stats, and even notifications for incoming calls.
It also comes with AirLock autonomous unlocking, which means you can use your phone to lock and unlock it without fumbling with a key. If you’re worried about losing it, it’s Apple Find My compatible, so you can track it down when someone inevitably “borrows” it without asking.
Lighting is another area where Segway went all out. The Max G3 features a 360-degree lighting system, including an automatic headlight that’s three times brighter, underglow lighting, and turn signals that sync with that underglow lighting. Because what’s the point of having a fast, high-tech scooter if it doesn’t glow like a Fast and Furious car while you ride?
The Segway Ninebot Max G3 seems ready to take a stab at competing in the premium commuter scooter space, with performance upgrades that should make it a blast to ride while keeping it safe and comfortable. At $899.99 for the pre-order price before it jumps to $1,399.99, it could be a steal for anyone looking to upgrade their ride without venturing into ultra-premium pricing.
If you’re ready to jump on one, pre-orders are open through March 24 with promotional pricing. Deliveries are expected to begin around the end of March.
What do you think? Should we try to get our hands on one for a test ride when they roll out? Let us know in the comments section below.
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The legend of the ‘Tesla killer’ is not a myth anymore. It came true, and it’s not an electric vehicle from a legacy automaker or a new EV startup; it’s Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO.
In the early days of Tesla, the media loved to use the term ‘Tesla killer’ every time a legacy automaker launched a new EV.
At the time, we scolded them for using it, as they would apply it to electric vehicles that didn’t match Tesla’s performance, production volumes, or profitability.
Sure enough, none of them came even close to negatively affecting Tesla, let alone “killing” the company.
But things are changing now. Tesla is not growing at an insane pace like it was for a decade. In fact, it’s not growing at all anymore. Tesla’s global sales declined annually for the first time in 2024, and it is starting even worse in 2025.
It is undisputable that the increased EV competition is having an impact, but there isn’t a single EV model that can be deemed a “Tesla killer”—even though we do see a couple of Chinese EVs as having quite an impact on Tesla.
Most Tesla fans, myself included, thought that while Tesla’s market shares would go down amid more EV competition, its sales would continue to grow as EV adoption takes over the industry. That’s exactly what happened for a few years, but the trend reversed in 2024, and it’s not because of EV adoption.
Global EV sales surged by 25% in 2024, while the sales of the biggest EV automaker, Tesla, declined by 1%.
There are many reasons to explain this situation, but there’s one main culprit: Elon Musk.
Musk has been completely delusional about Tesla achieving self-driving capability for years, which led him to neglect the rest of Tesla’s automotive business as he thought that by the end of every year for the last 6 years, Tesla would be able to flip a switch and make all its vehicles self-driving – automatically increasing their value and making them infinitely more competitive than other vehicles.
How did Musk neglect Tesla’s automotive business?
The clearest example is the fact that Tesla launched a single new vehicle in the last 5 years: the Cybertruck, which proved to be a total flop.
The Cybertruck launched in 2023 at a much higher price and significantly shorter range than what was promised when unveiled in 2019. With a reservation backlog at over 1 million units, Musk said that he could see Tesla eventually selling 500,000 units a year and Tesla planned for an initial production capacity of 250,000 units a year.
Now, a year and a half into production, Tesla is having issues selling the Cybertruck at 10% of its planned production capacity installed at Gigafactory Texas.
Musk also canceled Tesla’s plan to build a “~$25,000 electric car”, which would have greatly fueled demand and allowed Tesla to grow its delivery volumes. The CEO didn’t believe that the vehicle program would make sense if Tesla solved autonomy. He said in October 2024:
“I think having a regular $25,000 model is pointless. It would be silly. It would be completely at odds with what we believe.”
What Musk, and by extension Tesla, believes is that the automaker is on the verge of solving self-driving, but he has thought that to be the case every year for the last 6 years.
There’s no evidence that it is now on the verge of happening, or at least, not on the hardware that Tesla has delivered so far.
It’s clear that this crucial mistake about the timeline of self-driving has led Musk to make many mistakes about how to manage Tesla in the last few years.
For example, Tesla’s decision to remove turn signals and gear shift stalks from vehicles started with Model S and Model X in 2021. The CEO saw them as superfluous in a self-driving world, which he thought was imminent. Now, Model S and Model X sales have crashed.
Tesla brought the same design to the Model 3 with the refresh last year. Seeing the mistake years later, Tesla decided to keep the turn signal stalk with the Model Y refresh this year, and the stalk is rumored to make a comeback on the Model 3.
Perhaps the biggest mistake Musk has made about self-driving is promising that “all Tesla vehicles built since 2016 have the hardware capable of self-driving” to a level that would enable a robotaxi service, which in SAE self-driving terms would mean level 4-5.
Musk himself has already admitted that Tesla has been wrong about that twice: the automaker had to upgrade Tesla owners having the “2.5 Autopilot computer” to the “3.0 self-driving computer”, which Musk recently admitted will also not be able to get Tesla to self-driving capabilities.
He said that Tesla would “painfully” replace the computers in all vehicles of owners who purchased the “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) software package. However, we noted that Tesla is likely in more trouble than that since it promised that “all Tesla vehicles built since 2016 have the hardware capable of self-driving” – not just those whose owners bought the FDS package. Considering this greatly affects the resale value of those vehicles, you can make the argument that there are millions of Tesla owners out there who are owed a retrofit or compensation for Tesla’s mistake.
This is a current liability at Tesla worth billions of dollars, and there are already examples of lawsuits about this issue.
These are all management mistakes that ultimately fall on Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO.
Then, there are plenty of mistakes that Musk has made outside of Tesla that is affecting the company. The hard turn to the right, buying Twitter, boosting misinformation and Russian propaganda on the platform, financially backing Donald Trump, joining the administration and slashing critical government program indiscriminately.
Regardless of if you agree or not with Musk’s politics, these are things that you simply shouldn’t do as the face of a major consumer product company as you will undoubtedly anger a large part of your consumer base.
That’s exactly what’s happening.
There are now weekly demonstrations at Tesla stores around the world, and sales are crashing in many markets, especially in those where Musk got politically involved, like Germany, where Tesla sales are down 70% so far this year.
Musk is virtually erasing two decades of hard work to build Tesla’s brand into the world’s leading when it comes to electrification and renewable energy.
Now, for a large part of the population, Tesla is just seen as the piggybank of an out-of-touch oligarch.
Tesla is not dead yet, but if Musk continues to be the face of the company, it looks like it’s certainly going in that direction as this brand issue and declining demand is not going away.
Some of his fans cling to the idea that the automaker is about to solve self-driving, but this belief is largely based on Musk’s claims, which have been consistently wrong.
Now, it’s not to say that Tesla hasn’t made great progress on that front, but if we are to listen to the company’s own goal to be safer than humans, it means achieving “miles between critical disengagement” equivalent to human miles between collisions, which is 700,000 miles, according to NHTSA.
The latest available crowdsource data, a dataset that Musk has positively referred to twice lately, shows that Tesla is currently at about 500 miles between critical disengagement.
Electrek’s Take
While Tesla might not die under Musk, I sincerely think that, at best, it will be a fraction of what it was at its peak, which means no bigger than it is now or in 2023.
Musk’s brand is toxic and doesn’t look to be improving significantly now that he has attached himself to identity politics, culture wars, and Trump.
Looking at Tesla fans and shareholders who still support him, their main hope appears to be self-driving and robots. On the self-driving front, I think it’s delusional to believe that Tesla will solve self-driving on its current hardware.
I think it has made some great progress, which may result in Tesla achieving valuable levels of self-driving on next-generation hardware in the next few years. However, others are on the same path, and you have to balance Tesla’s effort against the giant liability it created for itself by promising it on millions of other vehicles.
As for the robots, I’m actually somewhat bullish on humanoid robots, and I do believe that Tesla has some competitive advantage on that front. However, it’s foolish to think they will simply leapfrog the competition, which is significant in the sector.
Tesla’s core business remains selling cars and batteries. There’s no doubt that the business of selling cars is not going well for Tesla right now, and under Musk, there’s no clear path to improvement. The energy business is booming, but margins are falling, and competition is increasing—especially from companies like CATL and BYD, which supply the cells that Tesla uses for its stationary batteries.
On the car side, Tesla is indeed planning to launch cheaper cars this year, but that plan was a pivot after Musk canceled the “$25,000 Tesla.” These new vehicles are expected to be built on the same platform as Model 3 and Model Y, so they will be closer to these models and cannibalize them.
I’d be surprised if they are enough to avoid Telsa from having its annual deliveries decline again this year.
I have been saying this for a while, but it’s time for Elon to go.
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