Somehow, my wife and I managed to share a car for the past five years. This arrangment worked because we live in a small town, both work at the University, and are attached at the hip. However, I am about to graduate and will need a car to commute. My wife still has about a year before she finishes. It is hard to justfiy getting a second car for her short trip to work. I was ecstatic when she agreed to ride a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) into work, provided it met certain cosmetic criteria. My wife is a really good sport when it comes to my unusual habits. She has no shame tailing behind on my Go-Ped electric scooter while I bicycle into work. Her response to this new brainstorm should come at no surpise. The NEV fits her transportation needs perfectly, is inexpensive, low maintenance, and fuel-free. The rules on NEVs are governed by the city you live in. I was extremely disappointed to find the Cities of Champaign and Urbana do not allow them outside of the University of Illinois district.

I have contacted some city council members in hopes of bringing these enviroment- and energy-friendly vehicles to public streets. Below I am documenting the steps we have gone through so far, and will update it as new events occur. I encourage you contact your city council members to support NEVs in your town. This gesture is just a small step in ending our dependence on foreign oil. Thank you and I hope you find the items below useful.

NEV JOURNAL

• (08-12-08) Sheryl called our insurance agent to see if they would insure an NEV. They confirmed that they insure NEVs but at a higher rate than cars due to their lack of safty features and limited availability of replacement parts.
• (08-15-08) I contacted Champaign City Council, whose ordinances define where NEVs are allowed. The e-mail addresses and photos listed on the city council website suggested the members were very appoachable, and I found this to be true. Champaign also has an extensive database that lets users search previous minutes and agendas–an excellent resource for finding existing NEV ordinances.
• (08-18-08) I recieved a reply from a member of the city council saying he was adding NEVs to the agenda. He stated that he personally supports allowing NEVs on public streets but expects opposition for their use outside the University District, and recommends that I e-mail the other council members.
  
• (08-22-08) City council study session schedule approved for next week.
• (09-08-08) City council is discussing expansion on 09-09-08.
• (09-09-08) City council passed in favor of Neighborhood Electric vehicles eight to one. Stay tuned. Read the meeting summary (taken from the City of Champaign website).