
A low speed vehicle, including a neighborhood electric vehicle, is defined as any four-wheeled electric vehicle capable of achieving a top speed between 20 and 25 miles per hour. Low speed vehicles must comply with the safety standards in Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, sections 571.500 and 316.2122. (Reference Florida Statutes 320.01 (42))
A person operating an alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) must purchase an annual decal from the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles in lieu of the excise tax on gasoline. Fueling stations are not allowed to fuel an AFV that does not display the proper decal. State and local government AFV fleets are exempt from paying the decal fee. In addition to the state alternative fuel fee imposed by this section, a person fueling a vehicle from their own facility is required to pay a local alternative fuel fee in lieu of each cent of excise tax levied by a county (Reference Florida Statutes 206.877)
An individual who wishes to be a wholesale distributor of an alternative fuel must first obtain a license from the Florida Department of Revenue. (Reference Florida Statutes 206.89)
EVs are protected from insurance surcharges based on factors such as new technology, passenger payload, weight-to-horsepower ratio, and the types of material used to manufacture the vehicle, unless the Office of Insurance Regulation receives actuarial data that determines the surcharges are justified. (Reference Florida Statutes 627.06535)