SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1971        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1975

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Michael J. Rodrigues

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act enabling innovation in the automotive industry to create the highly efficient vehicles of tomorrow.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1971        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1975

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act enabling innovation in the automotive industry to create the highly efficient vehicles of tomorrow.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 1 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following definition before “Alternative fuel”:-

‘Aeropod”,  an alternative fuel vehicle with 3 wheels and an enclosed occupant compartment.

SECTION 2.  Section 1 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by replacing the definition of "automobile” with:-

‘Automobile”, any motor vehicle except a motor cycle or aeropod.

SECTION 3.  Section 7DD is hereby inserted after section 7CC of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition:-

Section 7DD. An Aeropod, as defined by section 1 of this chapter, shall be a “motor vehicle” for the purposes of this chapter and elsewhere in the General Laws except as follows:

1)Aeropods shall be equipped with either a rear facing mirror or a rear mounted camera with digital display notwithstanding section 7 of this chapter, or any other provision of the General Laws, requiring a rearview mirror or mirrors to display the sides of the vehicle.

2)Aeropods shall be equipped with at least one rear light visible from the rear of the vehicle so as to show the red light from behind so arranged as to illuminate and not obscure the registration plate and shall be equipped with at least one stop light mounted and displayed in a like manner of a type complying with minimum standards for construction and performance as the registrar may prescribe notwithstanding section 7 of this chapter, or any other provision of the General Laws, requiring additional lights.

3)Aeropods shall display a registration plate which shall otherwise conform with section 5 of this chapter except that it may also be a bright display or embedded into the left and right sides of the vehicle’s body so long as it is illuminated and visible from the rear of the vehicle.

4)Aeropods shall be engineered to reduce the spray or splash to the rear of mud, water or slush caused by the rear wheels thereof and shall not be otherwise subject to the splash guard requirements of section 7 of this chapter.

5)Aeropods shall be allowed to use either glass or polycarbonate as a means of transparent material for the driver’s visibility notwithstanding any provision of the General Laws to the contrary.