BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING
Senator Jim Beall, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: SB 241 Hearing Date: 4/7/2015
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|Author: |Bates |
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|Version: |2/17/2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant|Randy Chinn |
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SUBJECT: Neighborhood electric vehicles
DIGEST: This bill extends by five years the County of Orange's
authority to adopt a neighborhood electric vehicle
transportation plan and to submit its report on the results of
that plan to the Legislature.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1.Defines a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV), also known as a
low-speed vehicle, as a motor vehicle that is four-wheeled,
can attain a speed of at least 20 but not more than 25 miles
per hour, and has a gross vehicle weight rating of less than
3000 pounds.
2.Generally subjects NEVs to all the provisions applicable to a
motor vehicle, and generally subjects drivers of NEVs to the
same provisions applicable to drivers of motor vehicles.
3.Prohibits, with certain exceptions, NEVs from operating on any
roadway with a speed limit above 35 miles per hour, unless an
NEV transportation plan, as defined, has been adopted.
4.Authorizes the County of Orange to adopt an NEV transportation
plan for the Ranch Plan Planned Community. A report on the
results of the plan was due to the Legislature by January 1,
2015 and the authority to adopt the plan expires on January 1,
SB 241 (Bates) Page 2 of ?
2017.
This bill extends by five years the time allowed for the County
of Orange to adopt an NEV transportation plan for the Ranch Plan
Planned Community and to report on the results of that plan, to
January 1, 2022 and January 1, 2020, respectively.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose. According to the author, Rancho Mission Viejo is a
master planned community developer in south Orange County that
is developing the final 23,000 acres of its property. The
development includes a community-wide trail system with one of
the state's largest NEV transportation plans. Currently there
are only 6 to 10 NEVs in operation in the community. The
extension in this bill provides time for additional project
development and more NEV usage, which would lead to more
experience with NEVs and a more useful report to the
Legislature.
2.NEV background and history. NEVs are small electric vehicles
designed for low-speed neighborhood use, similar to a golf
cart. They lack many of the safety features of typical
automobiles (e.g., crash resistant bumpers, doors) and cost
from $10,000 to $15,000.
Several communities have been authorized to establish NEV
transportation plans, including the County of Riverside, the
City of Fresno, the County of Amador, and the cities of
Lincoln and Rocklin. In a January 1, 2011 report to the
Legislature, Lincoln reported that its NEV transportation plan
has "generally been successful" and Rocklin reported that the
early results "show promise."
All of the previously authorized NEV transportation plans
provide for shared use by NEVs and conventional vehicles on
streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less, except for the
transportation plan for the Ranch Plan Planned Community,
which limits those speeds to 25 mph or less. The author and
committee may wish to consider conforming this speed limit to
35 mph.
The authority for Orange County to establish a NEV
transportation plan was created in 2007 and first extended in
2011. This bill is the second extension.
SB 241 (Bates) Page 3 of ?
RELATED LEGISLATION:
SB 290 (Correa, 2011) - Extended the authority of Orange County
to establish a neighborhood electric vehicle plan for the Ranch
Plan Planned Community until January 1, 2017.
SB 956 (Correa, 2007) - Authorized Orange County to establish a
neighborhood electric vehicle plan for the Ranch Plan Planned
Community until January 1, 2013.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.: Yes Local: Yes
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Wednesday,
April 1, 2015.)
SUPPORT:
Association of California Cities, Orange County
Automobile Club of Southern California
Orange County Board of Supervisors
Orange County Business Council
Rancho Mission Viejo
OPPOSITION:
None received.
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