No. H 244/07
For release - December 21, 2007
OTTAWA — Transport Canada is taking steps to update the definition of low speed vehicles (LSVs). The proposed change would allow manufacturers of small LSV trucks to begin to market them in Canada. Such trucks could be used in applications such as grounds keeping, landscaping and in certain industrial and institutional settings.
"Along with small LSV trucks, the proposed updated definition makes it clear that the LSV class was created to meet transportation needs in controlled areas," stated the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. "It's important for Canadians to know that these vehicles should be restricted to safe environments."
A controlled area can include any of the following: university campuses, military bases, parks and retirement communities. These are areas where LSVs do not share the roads with larger, heavier and faster motor vehicles.
While the road use of LSVs is a matter for provinces and territories to regulate, Transport Canada reminds licensing authorities, as well as manufacturers and consumers, that the safety standards for these electric, environmentally friendly LSVs do not match those of other motor vehicle classes that travel our public roads. The safety of LSV users in case of a collision is of great concern to Transport Canada.
Transport Canada encourages vehicle manufacturers to consider designing and making electric vehicles that meet all of the strict safety standards currently met by mainstream motor vehicles, so they can offer the same level of protection without tailpipe emissions or negative impact on local air quality. In this vein, Transport Canada's ecoTECHNOLOGY for vehicles (ETV) program tests advanced technology vehicles for safety and environmental performance and works to remove barriers to their entry into Canada's market.
Another minor revision in the definition of an LSV would clarify the current "no emission" requirement by stating that an LSV does not use fuel as an on-board source of energy. This is in keeping with the original intent that LSVs are environmentally friendly electric vehicles and produce no emissions.
Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and its regulations, Transport Canada sets the safety standards for certain classes of motor vehicles sold in Canada.
The proposed change will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on December 22, 2007. Canadians will have 60 days in which to review the new LSV definition and respond to it. The Government of Canada will then review the comments in order to develop a final definition and publish it in the Canada Gazette, Part II.
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Contacts:
Karine White
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
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