Global Electric Motorcars. 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.

History

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 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 . 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). 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.

GEM battery-electric vehicles are street legal in nearly all 50 US states on public roads with speed limits of  or less. With a top speed of , GEM cars have a range of  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 
  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
, the GEM neighborhood electric vehicle is the market leader in North America, with global sales of more than 50,000 units since 1998.
 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  bed, which comes in several different configurations, and a  cargo capacity.
 GEM eM1400 LSV— A heavy duty GEM based on the Polaris ranger with a  bed with a  payload capacity.

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References

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Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1992
Battery electric vehicle manufacturers
Companies based in Fargo–Moorhead
Car manufacturers of the United States
Low-speed vehicles
Electric vehicle manufacturers of the United States
Manufacturing companies based in Minnesota
Manufacturing companies based in North Dakota