Hello everyone, and thanks Richard for the warm welcome. My experience with Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) began after one of our "regular" cars was rear-ended by a drunk driver--and totaled. As I started looking for a replacement, I remembered reading that our city was encouraging the use of NEVs. Not quite sure what to expect, but curious, I began doing some research.

We have a large "active adult" retirement community nearby, and I initially assumed that NEV travel was limited to that area. As a 34-year-old Engineering Manager, I'm not quite ready to retire, but the idea of a neighborhood electric car was appealing. I soon discovered that our town of Lincoln, California was serious about NEV travel for all residents. So serious, that the city installed special cross-town NEV lanes to enable residents to get virtually anywhere in Lincoln via NEV.

As I dug deeper, I began to realize that owning a NEV could not only help "spare the air", but would also save a significant amount of money over buying another "regular car". The vehicle, "fuel", and insurance costs were all fractions of the price I was used to paying. So, I bought a GEM, and went on with life.

I soon found that the NEV really did save money--and was also a lot of fun. Wherever I went, people stopped and asked about the car. After a few weeks of questions, I realized that there was a need for a web site where people could go to get more information about NEVs. Thus, LincolNEV.com was born.

While LincolNEV's focus is on NEV usage in Lincoln, I realize that some of the content appeals to a wider audience. I don't claim to be a NEV expert, but do enjoy the topic, and am constantly learning. Since I found Golf Car Portal to be a great resource when researching my car, I'm pleased to have some of our content mirrored on this site.

My schedule is very busy, but I hope to make time to write at least one article or review each month. This month, I wanted to cover a common query for those considering a used vehicle: what to look for in a pre-owned GEM. I hope you find this article useful. If you have ideas for future articles or reviews, please email me at lincolnev@golfcarportal.com

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