In the first American study of its kind, UC Davis researchers this week began to assess the public's response to a fleet of new electric vehicles - small, lightweight, quick cars that provide short-range transportation with zero air pollution.

Automaker Nissan is supplying 15 of its Hypermini electric cars to researchers at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, a global leader in helping industry and policy makers plan the transportation future.

"The information that is gathered during this project will help better determine possible uses for these clean vehicles," said Shigeo Ishida, president of Nissan Technical Center North America, the U.S. research and development arm of Nissan Motor Company.

For the next year, dozens of UC Davis employees will use the Hyperminis for work trips around campus and Davis. ITS-Davis research-ers will record users' impressions of features such as interior space; speed and range; charging convenience; usefulness compared with other options such as walking, cycling or driving a conventional vehicle; and safety.

Concurrently, the researchers will assess whether clean, efficient vehicles stimulate discussions in the community about issues such as air quality, climate change and energy supplies, and the role individuals and communities can play in resolving them.

"We want to know how users like the cars. We also want to listen to the conversations the vehicles prompt. What do people say about the cars? Do they imagine they would want such a vehicle? What do they imagine such vehicles do to their own travel, their town and their world?" said Ken Kurani, a research engineer at the Institute of Transportation Studies.

Kurani and ITS-Davis research anthropologist Tom Turrentine are the study's lead investigators. They specialize in consumer response to new transportation and communication technologies.

In response to federal and state environmental regulations, all major automakers are designing cars that produce less pollution and reduce dependence on oil. ITS-Davis helps those efforts with technological expertise and market evaluations, and by educating the transportation experts of the future.

So far, the cleanest vehicles developed have been zero-emission electric vehicles (EVs) powered by batteries. Similar in size and performance to conventional American cars and trucks, "full-function" EV models include the Nissan Altra EV, GM EV1, Honda EV PLUS, Toyota RAV4-EV, DaimlerChrysler Epic minivan, Ford Ranger EV pickup truck, and Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck.

Those EVs require big, expensive batteries. They support commuting on the freeway and around town and boast excellent acceleration and the convenience of home recharging - but their cost is greater than a comparably sized gasoline vehicle. Automakers are currently considering whether they will support the releases of a significant new quantity of "full function" EVs.

Many automakers are also evaluating smaller, lighter, shorter-range vehicles using less expensive batteries. In the city electric vehicle class, Nissan has developed the Hypermini and has put them to use in car-sharing programs in Japan. Still another class of electric cars, neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs), offers smaller, lower-speed EVs for use on streets with 35 mph speed limits or less. Companies are currently marketing NEVs.

City EVs like the Hypermini offer an option between the larger, full-function EVs and the small neighborhood EVs. The Hypermini's lithium-ion batteries power the car for 40 miles around town and recharge in four hours at a 220-volt recharging station. Its top speed is 62 mph and it has four-wheel anti-lock braking, dual air bags, CFC-free air conditioning and tires that can run for 50 miles after a puncture.