The GEM 6-passenger neighbourhood electric vehicle

Now here’s a vehicle that we exect to see a lot more of. Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) has launched a six-passenger street-legal local transportation vehicle for shuttling groups of people. The top spec GEM e6S has a larger battery pack to extend driving range to 40 miles and a utility bed to carry passenger luggage and other cargo. It is designed for planned communities, airports, military bases, parks, resorts, city centres and educational, industrial and commercial campuses where ruggedness and continuous-duty and low cost of operation are an issue. GEM vehicles have a top speed of 25 mph, can be driven on roadways posted up to 35 mph, and meet all federal safety standards for Low Speed Vehicles. They are classified as zero emissions vehicles.

California remains the strongest market for zero-emission GEM vehicles, along with Sun Belt states such as Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Hawaii.

The 2006 GEM model lineup includes a heavy-duty motor and motor controller with integral cooling for use in extreme duty-cycle operation.

Over the past few years, GEM has built a 2-, 4- and now 6-passenger fleet and along the way has continually improved the breed, redesigning the chassis to use automotive suspension and braking systems, widening the track, reducing the turning radius, and developing the company’s smart battery charging algorithms that provide maximum driving range after each recharge cycle and extend the battery pack life.

In addition to being the top-selling street-legal all-electric vehicle in the United States, Global Electric Motorcars, LLC has recently expanded its marketing internationally with new distributors in Western Europe.