Global Electric Motorcars

{{Infobox company

| name = Global Electric Motorcars (GEM)

| logo = Gem vehicles logo.png

| logo_size = 150

| type = Subsidiary

| foundation = {{start date and age|1992}}

| location_city = Medina, Minnesota

| location_country = United States

| key_people =

| area_served = Global

| industry = Automotive

| products = Small vehicles, NEVs, LSVs

| parent = Waev

| homepage = {{URL|https://www.gemcar.com}}

}}

Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) is an American automotive manufacturer specializing in neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) since 1998 and low-speed vehicles (LSVs) since 2001. By October 2015 the company had sold over 50,000 GEM Battery electric vehicles worldwide. Originally owned by Chrysler, GEM was acquired by Polaris Inc. in 2011. In January 2022, it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Waev.{{cite web |url=https://commercial.polaris.com/en-us/news/waev-completes-purchase-gem-taylor-dunn-businesses |title=Waev Inc. Completes Purchase of GEM and Taylor-Dunn Businesses |publisher=Polaris Inc. |location=US |website=commercial.polaris.com |date=3 January 2022 |access-date=2022-03-02}}

History

File:GEM eLXD electric 5314 DC 03 2009.jpg, Washington, D.C.]]

The company was founded in 1992 by a team of ex-General Motors engineers from Livonia, Michigan, under the name Trans2.{{Cite web |title=WheelsAge |url=https://en.wheelsage.org/gem |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=en.wheelsage.org}}

The company was purchased by a group of North Dakota investors and relocated to Fargo, North Dakota. Global Electric Motorcars manufactured its first vehicle in April 1998, a 48-volt GEM car designed for two passengers with a top speed of {{cvt|20|mph|km/h}}.{{Cite web |title=About GEM |url=https://www.gemcar.com/about-gem/ |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=GEM - Electric Vehicles |language=en-US}} Shortly after, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) established a new class of motor vehicles, the low-speed vehicle (LSV), also known as the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV).{{Cite web |title=Federal Register :: Request Access |url=https://unblock.federalregister.gov/ |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=unblock.federalregister.gov}}{{Cite web |date=2006-04-19 |title=Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Low-Speed Vehicles |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2006/04/19/06-3590/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standards-low-speed-vehicles#:~:text=I.-,Background,571.3%20(63%20FR%2033194). |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=Federal Register |language=en}} This classification allowed GEM cars to be driven on public roads, provided they met specific safety criteria such as having safety belts, headlamps, windshield wipers, and safety glass.{{Cite web |title=Low-Speed Vehicles - GEM LSV |url=https://www.gemcar.com/low-speed-vehicles/ |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=GEM - Electric Vehicles |language=en-US}}

GEM battery-electric vehicles are street legal in nearly all 50 US states on public roads with speed limits of {{cvt|35|mph|km/h}} or less. With a top speed of {{cvt|25|mph|km/h}}, GEM cars have a range of {{convert|30|–|100|mi|km|round=10}} on a single charge depending on the installed battery technology. They are battery-electric, operating on a 72-volt battery system that can be plugged into a standard 3-prong 120-volt outlet for recharging, and they fully recharge in six to eight hours.

Currently, there are six different models of GEM cars available, GEM cars are utilized 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 the general public.

=Timeline <ref name="wheelsage" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shepard |first=Jeff |date=October 24, 2000 |title=DaimlerChrysler Acquires Global Electric MotorCars |url=https://eepower.com/news/daimlerchrysler-acquires-global-electric-motorcars/ |access-date=September 17, 2024 |website=EE Power}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-31 |title=A Brief History of GEM Cars |url=https://www.gemcarpartsdirect.com/blogs/news/a-brief-history-of-gem-cars |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=GEM Car Parts Direct |language=en |first=Timothy |last=Miller}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) USA |url=https://blog.japanesecartrade.com/710-gem/ |access-date=September 17, 2024 |website=Japanese Car Trade}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 25, 2011 |title=Polaris to Acquire Global Electric Motorcars LLC (GEM) |url=https://ir.polaris.com/news/news-details/2011/Polaris-to-Acquire-Global-Electric-Motorcars-LLC-GEM/default.aspx |access-date=September 17, 2024 |website=Polaris}}</ref>=

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
January 2006
GEM has 150 dealers
April 2006
GEM e6 first produced
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
June 2010
Global Electric Motorcars introduces the new Right Hand Drive GEM electric vehicle
July 2011
Global Electric Motorcars is sold to Polaris
August 2014
GEM receives first minor refresh under new owners Polaris
GEM eM1400 utility vehicle first produced
October 2015
GEM eM1400 LSV first produced
October 2016
GEM launches full redesign of e2, e4, e6, & eL XD models including lithium-ion battery offerings

Vehicles

{{As of|2015|10}}, the GEM neighborhood electric vehicle is the market leader in North America, with global sales of more than 50,000 units since 1998.{{cite news |url=https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100736_polaris-updates-gem-low-speed-electric-vehicles |title=Polaris Updates GEM Low-Speed Electric Vehicles |first=Stephen |last=Edelstein |work=Green Car Reports |date=2015-11-03 |access-date=2015-11-22}}

Passenger Vehicles:
GEM e2 LSV — A two-passenger vehicle
GEM e4 LSV — A four-passenger vehicle
GEM e6 LSV — A six-passenger vehicle
Utility Vehicles:
GEM eL XD LSV— A heavier duty version of the GEM with a {{cvt|70x48|inch|mm|round=5}} bed, which comes in several different configurations, and a {{cvt|1100|lb|kg|round=5}} cargo capacity.
GEM eM1400 LSV— A heavy duty GEM based on the Polaris ranger with a {{cvt|51x42|inch|mm|round=5}} bed with a {{cvt|1400|lb|kg|round=5}} payload capacity.