The GEM car is the product of Global Electric Motorcars, an American maker of neighbourhood electric vehicles founded in 1992 and based in Fargo, North Dakota. Its first vehicle was completed in April 1998: a 48-volt two-seater with a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h), built at a moment when American law had no class for such a car. By October 2015 the company had sold more than 50,000 battery-electric vehicles worldwide.
GEM car at a glance
| Maker | Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Fargo, North Dakota |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992, as Trans2, by former General Motors engineers from Livonia, Michigan |
| First vehicle | April 1998 |
| Drive | battery-electric |
| Battery system | 48 volts at launch, 72 volts in later models |
| Top speed | 20 mph (32 km/h) in 1998, 25 mph (40 km/h) later |
| Range | 30–100 miles (50–160 km) depending on battery technology |
| Recharging | 6–8 hours from a standard three-prong 120-volt outlet |
| Seats | two in the first car; two, four and six in later passenger models |
| Ownership | Chrysler from 2000, Polaris from 2011, Waev from January 2022 |
| Sales | over 50,000 vehicles by October 2015 |
Based on one source: the English and German Wikipedia pages on Global Electric Motorcars, which describe the brand rather than individual models.
History of the GEM car
From Trans2 to Fargo
The company began in 1992, when a team of former General Motors engineers from Livonia, Michigan, set up under the name Trans2. It was then bought by a group of North Dakota investors and moved to Fargo, North Dakota. The first vehicle to carry the GEM name was finished there in April 1998: a small, open battery-electric car for two people, running on 48 volts and limited to 20 mph.
A new legal class
The launch coincided with a change in American rules. Shortly after the first GEM car appeared, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration created a new class of motor vehicle, the low-speed vehicle, also called the neighbourhood electric vehicle. That classification is what allowed cars like the GEM to be driven on public roads at all, on condition that they carried safety belts, headlamps, windscreen wipers and safety glass. GEM cars are now street legal in nearly all 50 states on roads with speed limits of 35 mph (56 km/h) or less.
Ownership: Chrysler, Polaris, Waev
DaimlerChrysler bought Global Electric Motorcars in December 2000, and the company remained a wholly owned Chrysler subsidiary through the 2000s; in June 2009 it was confirmed as a subsidiary of Chrysler Group LLC. Chrysler sold GEM to Polaris in July 2011. Polaris gave the range its first modest refresh in August 2014 and added the eM1400 utility vehicle, and in October 2016 carried out a full redesign of the e2, e4, e6 and eL XD with lithium-ion battery options. In January 2022 Global Electric Motorcars and Taylor-Dunn were spun out into a new independent company, Waev Inc.
Design and features
- Built for short trips: designed for resorts, campuses, gated communities and municipal work rather than for the open road.
- Simple charging: a 72-volt battery pack that plugs into an ordinary 120-volt household socket and is full in six to eight hours.
- Low-speed safety rules: belts, headlamps, wipers and safety glass are what make the cars legal on public roads in the United States.
- Range by battery: between 30 and 100 miles on a charge, depending on which battery technology is fitted.
GEM car versions
- First GEM car (1998): 48-volt, two-seat, 20 mph.
- Passenger range: the two-seat e2, four-seat e4 and six-seat e6.
- Utility range: the eS, eL and eL XD with a cargo bed, and later the eM1400 based on the Polaris Ranger.
- Peapod: a modern-looking four-seater listed in the German model line-up.
- Right-hand drive: introduced in June 2010.
The first GEM car led directly to the two-seat GEM e2 and the four-seat GEM e4; the utility side of the range is described in GEM e6. More electric vehicles are in the GEM collection.
Video: GEM Electric Car by BC
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Global Electric Motorcars, English Wikipedia: history, dates, technology, models
- Global Electric Motorcars, German Wikipedia: company history, battery layout, model list
