Global Electric Motorcars

Global Electric Motorcars

Company type	Subsidiary of Chrysler
Industry	Automobile
Headquarters	Fargo, North Dakota , United States
Products	Small vehicles, NEVs
Parent	Chrysler Holding LLC
Website	Gemcar.com

Global Electric Motorcars (GEM or GEMCAR), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chrysler Group LLC, has been the market leader in the low-speed, Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) industry for the past 11 years and has more than 40,000 GEM battery-electric vehicles on the road worldwide.

History

A GEM eS used for park maintenance

A GEM car recharging via an outdoor wall socket at Duke University

GEM e2 used by the Tourist Police in Playa del Carmen, Mexico being recharged

A GEM eLXD used by a street food vendor at the National Mall, Washington, D.C.

A GEM e6 at the National Mall, Washington, D.C.

The company was founded in 1992 by a team of ex-General Motors engineers from Livonia, Michigan, under the name Trans2.

The company was purchased by a group of North Dakota investors and was moved to Fargo, North Dakota. Global Electric Motorcars manufactured its first vehicle in April 1998, a 48-volt GEM car that accommodated two passengers and had a top speed of 20 mph. Less than two months later, a significant breakthrough occurred in the market as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) designated a new class of motor vheicle, the low-speed vehicle, also known as the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV). The low-speed vehicle class allowed GEM cars to be driven on public roads if they met certain safety criteria such as having safety belts, headlamps, windshield wipers, and safety glass. GEM cars always come equipped with these safety features, making them a benchmark in the industry.

GEM battery-electric vheicles are street legal in nearly all 50 states on public roads posted at 35 mph (56 km/h) or less. With a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h) GEM cars have a range of up to 30 miles (48 km) on a charge. They are battery-electric, operate on a 72-volt battery system and plug into a standard 110-volt outlet for recharging, and fully recharge in six to eight hours.

There are currently six different models of GEM cars available primarily suited for intra-city use. GEM cars are used by local, state and national government agencies, resorts, master-planned communities, universities, medical and corporate campuses, as well as by sports teams, taxi-shuttle services and individual consumers.

Timeline

• April 1998
  • First GEM car produced in Fargo, North Dakota
• October 1998
  • GEM eL first produced
• November 1998
  • GEM eS first produced
• December 1998
  • GEM e4 first produced
• December 2000
  • DaimlerChrysler Corporation acquires Global Electric Motorcars, LLC
• March 2004
  • 2005 models begin production
• June 2005
  • Global Electric Motorcars receives its ‘ISO 9001:2000 Registered’ Certification
• January 2006
  • GEM has 150 dealers
• April 2006
  • GEM e6 first produced
• September 2006
  • December 2007
  • Global Electric Motorcars celebrates its 10th Anniversary
  • GEM eL XD first produced
• June 2009
  • Global Electric Motorcars remains a wholly owned subsidiary of Chrysler Group LLC
  • All-electric Tata Ace mini truck will be sold through Chrysler's Global Electric Motorcars division.

Vehicles

An Italian Carabinieri GEM e2, called the Ovetti (egg) in Carabinieri service, used for patrolling urban areas

A GEM e4 used for sightseeing tours

Passenger Vehicles:

• Cars:
  • GEM e2 NEV — A two-passenger vehicle
  • GEM e4 NEV — A four-passenger vehicle
  • GEM e6 NEV — A six-passenger vehicle
  • GEM Peapod - A four-passenger vehicle
• Utility Vehicles versions:
  • GEM eS NEV — A two-passenger vehicle with a 39" x 48" flat bed with and a 330 pound cargo capacity.
  • GEM eL NEV — A two-passenger vehicle with a 70" x 48" flat bed with and a 700 pound cargo capacity.
  • GEM eL XD NEV— An extra-duty heavier duty version of the GEM eL with a 70" x 48" flat bed with and a 1,100 pound cargo capacity.

External links

• Global Electric Motorcar website
• GEM Peapod website