Transport Canada is updating the definition of low-speed vehicles (LSV) to allow manufacturers of small LSV trucks to begin to market them in Canada. These trucks could be used in applications such as grounds keeping, landscaping as well as in some industrial settings and controlled areas.
A controlled area can include any of the following: university campuses, military bases, parks and retirement communities where LSVs do not share the roads with larger, heavier and faster motor vehicles. Safety standards for LSVs are quite different from those that apply to regular cars and trucks. Concerned about passenger protection, Transport Canada is therefore encouraging vehicle manufacturers to consider designing and making LSVs that meet all of the strict safety standards currently met by mainstream vehicles.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 which produce no greenhouse gas emissions.