Medium Speed Vehicle is a relatively new class of vehicles allowed on the roads of some states in the United States. It is similar to a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle except that a Medium Speed Vehicle is legally allowed to travel up to 35 mph (56 km/h). Montana's SB0185 was the first law to define this class of vehicle.[1] The U.S. states of Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington all now have laws that allow for such Medium Speed Vehicles.[2] Colorado has passed a law allowing MSVs that travel up to 45mph on roads with posted limit of 45 mph or less once DOT adopts standards. Additional states are considering such measures.
Many of the existing neighborhood electric vehicles such as the ZENN, the Ford Think Neighbor, and the Kurrent can easily be modified to travel at 35 mph (56 km/h).