B.C. company gets approval to build street-legal, low-speed electric vehicles

A small B.C. company says it has been granted approval to build a low-speed electric vehicle.

This week, Simolo Customs Ltd. Of Vernon said Transport Canada gave it the green light following five years of planning and development.

So, what is a low-speed electric vehicle (LSV)?

If you’re thinking golf cart, you’re somewhat right, though these rides have built-in safety features and modern looks.

“There’s certain criteria that’s required by Transport Canada, and some of that is signal lights, headlights, tail lights, they want seat belts on the vehicle, a DOT-approved windshield and rear-view mirrors, ” Jeffery Holomis, CEO and owner of Simolo Customs Ltd., told Global News on Tuesday.

Holomis also said the LSVs have a maximum speed limit of 40 km/h.

View image in full screen

Regarding where these vehicles will most likely be found, Holomis said in large, golf-course communities, though how they’ll be used will likely vary widely.

1:49 Chase Golf Carts

Holomis says Simolo Customs Ltd., which has a staff of eight, started in 2010 rebuilding golf carts.

“We saw a niche, a little market, for doing custom golf carts, and that’s where it started,” said Holomis.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“Originally, we were really catering towards resorts and off-road applications, and not so much the golf criteria. But when the downtown in Alberta came, and we were selling a lot of custom carts to Alberta, we decided we better start getting a hold of the golf market as well.”

2:14 Vernon is planning for a future where zero emission vehicles are the norm

Holomis continued, saying in 2015, the company started looking at manufacturing.

“We saw that in the industry, there were three big players in the golf-cart market,” he said, “and we felt there was some things missing.”

That led to planning and building the low-speed vehicle, which Holomis says will allow the company to reach into a new market.

0:38 Electric vehicles are the easiest cars to maintain

He also said prior to the planning and development stages, the company’s golf carts already had some safety features added, “so it wasn’t such a big job to create the LSV.”

As for price, Holomis said the base, two-seat model will cost $12,495, with pricing going up from there. Production is expected to start soon, with vehicles possibly being ready for sale in two months’ time.

For more on Simolo Customs Ltd., click here.