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Global Electric Motorcars
Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) is a market leader of NEVs, based in Fargo, North Dakota.
History
The company was founded as in 1992 by a team of ex-General Motors engineers from Livonia, Michigan, under the name Trans2.
The company was nearly bankrupt by 1997, when it was purchased by a group of North Dakota investors. The company received its current name and was moved to Fargo. 1998 was the first year that GEM had produced an NEV. The first car had a top speed of 20 mph, and could fit two people. In 2000, the company was purchased by DaimlerChrysler.
GEM has produced more than 26,000 vehicles and currently offers four different models primarily suited to intra-city use. GEM vehicles have found use in fleet service, hospitals, military bases, airports, golf courses, and seniors communities.
Timeline
- April 1998
- First car produced
- 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
- June 2000
- Global Electric Motorcars, LLC and DaimlerChrysler begins an aggressive market awareness campaign in the United States
- September 2002
- automated production of vehicles begins
- October 2003
- After market campaign, GEM is the leading LSV producer
- March 2004
- 2005 models begin production
- June 2005
- Global Electric Motorcars, LLC receives its ‘ISO 9001:2000 Registered’ Certification
- July 2005
- total number of cars produced hits 30,000
- January 2006
- GEM has 150 dealers
- April 2006
- GEM e6 first produced
- Autumn 2006
- GEM eL XD released
Vehicles
The company produces five vehicles based on similar designs:
- GEM e2 NEV — A two-seat vehicle similar to a golf cart
- GEM e4 NEV — A four-seat version of the e2
- GEM e6 NEV — A six-seat version of the e2
- GEM eS NEV — A two-seat pickup truck
- GEM eL NEV — A longer-bed version of the eS
The original vehicles operated on a 48-volt system with four 12-volt batteries and a 3.5 hp drive motor. Later models introduced an option of a 72-volt 5hp system, which is now used in all current models.
The 2005 models feature four-wheel disc brakes instead of drum brakes, and fully sealed electronics, as previous models suffered from electrical problems when driven in wet conditions.
All of the vehicles use a separately excited motor and controller from General Electric. The vehicles have a 72-volt battery pack provided by six 12-volt flooded lead acid or (optional) gel batteries.
