All Electric Car?

Question

I live less than 2 miles from work. The route I take has a maximum speed limit of 35MPH, but I spend a lot of time sitting and waiting. I'm interested in purchasing a small, all electric car (maybe nothing more than a golf cart) to travel to and from work. Obviously, it must be road legal and capable of traveling in normal commuting conditions (light rain, reasonable winds...) The big gotch-ya is that the sitting area MUST be fully enclosed and heated/Air Conditioned. Does anyone know where I could purchase such a vehicle?

Answer 1

You want a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV).  It's a smaller type of electric car..  With, yes, a vague resemblance to a golf cart.  Most are fully enclosed.  I can't promise they're heated or air conditioned though.  A/C takes a LOT of energy from the battery.  On a little car like these, it would take most of the energy.  Roll down a window.

(yes, rolling down a window is fine when you're going <35 mph.)

Answer 2

I don't think you'll be able to find a production model that is street legal.  Golf carts don't cut it.  Sorry.

Answer 3

Your best option is probably the ZAP Xebra, as it can go up to 40 mph.  Most currently available EVs have a top speed limited to 25 mph (neighborhood EVs [NEVs]).  The Xebra meets all of your criteria though, and can be ordered online (see second link below).  ZAP also has many dealerships across the country.

Another option is the Green Vehicles Triac, which is a highway speed EV but a bit more expensive, and will take a while to get a hold of (the reservation list currently goes to around the end of October).  Again you can reserve it online, but currently Green Vehicles only has dealerships in California.

See the links below for details.

Answer 4

It would be nice in a perfect world.