Charging ahead: with a GEM of an idea, the boys from Fargo, North Dakota, may have found the perfect niche for the electric car

Automotive Industries, August, 2003 by John Peter

Bay Harbor Mich., stretches out along five miles of exquisite (and expensive) Lake Michigan coastline. This gated community, situated about 50 miles north of Traverse City is home-away-from-home for many wealthy auto executives and entrepreneurs who dock their boats at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club and park their golf carts at the 27-hole Bay Harbor Golf Club.

And while the driveways of these million-dollar homes are full of Mercedes and Cadillac SUVs, the standard mode of transportation around Bay Harbor is the GEM neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV).

Bay Harbor, as well as other gated communities like Otay Ranch near San Diego, Calif., have proven to be the perfect place for the electric vehicle.

On this beautiful sunny summer Saturday, two small tents buzz with activity. Today is GEM day. Once a year GEM sets up shop in Bay Harbor and invites all of the owners to bring their vehicles in for a free 21-point inspection. The line forms up the path and around the top of the hill in front of tables selling chrome wheels, doors and other accessories, as well as brand new GEMs.

Larry Oswald was named CEO of Global Electric Motorcars after DaimlerChrysler bought the company in December of 2000. The director of DaimlerChrysler's hybrid electric vehicle program sits on the board at Bay Harbor and was instrumental in introducing the residents to the little electric car.

Oswald says that about half the people that live at Bay Harbor own GEMs.

"GEM was hoping for 15 percent," he adds.

One resident named Gerry has owned his GEM for about a year now. He drives down to the village every morning to get his coffee. Impressed with his personal GEM, Gerry has added a flatbed-equipped GEM to the lawn maintenance fleet that tends to the grounds around his large insurance company.

"The guys fight over it," he grins.

He says that he plans to eventually replace other gas-powered vehicles with GEMs.

A stylish Atlanta couple, who ask to remain nameless, were drawn to their GEM "because of convenience and peer pressure."

"If you want to go from the house to the village or yacht club," she says. "you have to drive out on the main road and back into the community. With the GEM, we don't have to leave."

She's very impressed with what GEM is doing and knows now why long-term residents look forward to these once-a-year GEM appreciation days.

"Car dealers should learn from these guys," she says.

Global Electric Motorcars built its first GEM, a 48-volt two-seater with a top speed of 20 mph, in April of 1998. The Fargo, N.D.-based company built 480 vehicles that year. Currently, about 18,000 people own and operate GEM cars in the U.S.

The GEM Neighborhood Electric Vehicle qualifies under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as a low-speed vehicle/ neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV). Low-speed vehicles can be driven on public roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less. NHTSA requires that the vehicle is equipped with a safety glass windshield, turn signals, mirrors, wipers, headlights and taillights, brake lights and seatbelts. Currently, 37 states have passed legislation accepting NHTSA's low-speed vehicle ruling.

The GEM is easy to drive. Just put the key in, turn it on, put it in gear and you're off. The seats are plenty comfortable and there's more than enough head, shoulder and legroom for all tour passengers inside the helicopter-cockpit designed cabin.

GEMs are powered by a 72-volt GE motor fed by six 12-volt industrial batteries, two in the front and four under the rear seat. The batteries are charged by an onboard charger with an outlet in the nose of the vehicle that plugs into a standard 110-volt outlet. It takes about eight hours to fully charge the vehicle, but it can be topped off anywhere you have electrical power.

We clip along at a steady 24 mph, waving at the GEM drivers that we pass going the other way. As Oswald says, "It's hard not to be friendly in an open air car."

The vehicle feels pretty solid and handles much better than it looks like it should.

Chrysler engineers worked with GEM on designing and tuning the coil-over shock suspension.

"Chrysler has been a monumental help with the program," says Richard J. Kaspar, president and COO of GEM. "They have helped us with crash and corrosion testing and have put a lot of car elements into the vehicle."

DCX engineers found an off-the-shelf clip to replace the thumb screws that held the hood down. The thumb screws that held the back seat in place are also gone. Accessing the four rear-mounted batteries is now as easy as pulling a nylon loop and unsnapping the seat cushion.

DCX engineers were instrumental in redesigning the seats, going to a more car-like foam-over-steel frame construction replacing the old foam-over-plywood and bringing carry-over car items like turn signal indicators, wipers and motors and accelerator pedals.

Kaspar looks forward to these GEM Appreciation days for the one-on-one feedback he gets from the owners.

"Typically I like to go around and shake hands with the owners to find out what's working and what isn't," Kaspar says. "We work to improve the quality every year, but the complaints and the issues tend to be minimal."