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- GEM Electric Cars -
Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) is an electric car division of Chrysler and it is headquartered in North Dakota. GEM was originally founded under the name Trans2 in 1992 in Michigan by former GM engineers. They suffered financial hard times in 1997, but were luckily bought out by a team of investors who renamed it GEM and moves the operation to Fargo. The original neighborhood electric vehicle produced by GEM in 1998 was a two seater with a max speed of 20 mph. Chrysler bought the company in 2000 and spun it into its own division in ’07.
Today GEM has manufactured a total of 35,000 vehicles with a line of 6 unique models for urban driving applications. They are particularly useful for fleet services, medical centers and hospitals, airports, golf courses, and gated communities. GEM NEV’s are legally considered low-speed vehicles and they are street legal in most states for streets with a speed limits of 35 mph or less. They have a top speed of 25 mph and can travel 30 miles on a single charge. The battery electric operation uses a 72 volt battery and can plug into a normal 110v outlet to be recharged. They can achieve full recharge in 6-8 hours.
The vehicles in the current GEM lineup are diverse and designed for various uses. There is a 2-seater, a 4-seater, a 6-seater, 2-seater with a flatbed, a 2-seter with a longbed, and a heavy duty model that can carry over a half ton of cargo. Gem also offers a special upgrade package for several of the models which includes polished aluminum wheels, chrome headlamps, chrome bumpers, a special steering wheel with tilt, carpeted floor mats, two-tone artificial leather seats and a range of other options. There is also a special version designed for security and law enforcement applications.
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