NEVs won’t catch on in Encino?

Club Car Villagers and GEM neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) are the vehicles of choice in many retirement communities. Not in Encino though. Maybe there's a few in Tarzana up in the hills by the golf courses. With a top speed of 25 mph and a battery with a range of about 30 miles, Club Cars and GEMs might work for local travel and not just for Balboa Park or Post Office employees. They come in 2-, 4- and 6-seaters and prices range from over $6K on up depending on what model you buy and how many tax breaks you use.

Here is the Club Car website (the nearest dealer is in Long Beach). Here is the GEM website (the nearest dealer, David Ellis Chrysler Plymouth in Canoga Park, don’t seem to have any so I'd start first with the Club Cars).

Critics say the NEVs are still way over-priced, even with tax credits and, given how people drive around here, horribly unsafe. Perhaps we don’t yet have the population density? But I'm seeing more 'smart' cars around and they aren't any bigger.

NEVs are legal on all roads posted at 35 mph or less. In Encino south of Burbank that rules out only Hayvenhurst and White Oak which are 40 mph. Because airbags are not required, an NEV cannot travel on a highway. They recharge at home with a standard 110-volt outlet and fully recharge in 6-8 hours.