GEM Introduces Peapod Neighborhood Electric Vehicle
23 September 2008
GEM, a Chrysler LLC company, introduced the next generation of its battery-powered neighborhood electric vehicles—the GEM Peapod. GEM also announced that it is renaming itself to GreenEcoMobility.
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| The GEM Peapod. |
The Peapod is powered by six 12-volt flooded electrolyte batteries with the option of six 12-volt maintenance-free batteries.
In addition to the 2009 GEM Peapod neighborhood electric vehicle, GEM plans to market a new light-duty, battery electric commercial truck and a larger city electric vehicle, with more range and performance. These vehicles are scheduled for production within the next year.
Today’s GEM is the US’s top zero-emission electric vehicle, with 38,000 produced and in use. GEM vehicles are used in settings such as city centers, planned communities, military bases, college campuses, corporate and commercial centers, and city, state and national parks.
GEM cars are available in six models: two-, four- and six-passenger cars and three utility vehicles. GEM neighborhood electric vehicles have a top speed of 25 miles per hour, a range of up to 30 miles per charge (battery charge is extended through use of regenerative braking) and are street legal in more than 40 states. The vehicles can be recharged anytime, anywhere with a standard 110-volt outlet. Recharge time is approximately six to eight hours.
as a side note, Newsweek reported that John and Cindy McCain own two or three of these GEMs.
Posted by: stomv | 23 September 2008 at 12:24 PM
A local Cal State University uses the GEM flat bed trucks for the work crews and they seem to work out fine. One of the questions I have on EVs is climbing hills. I can recall an electric golf cart bogging on hills. This CSU has lots of hills and it does not seem to bother the performance much.
Posted by: sjc | 23 September 2008 at 02:33 PM
Another benifit of this rather innovative impression will to increase the no of ambulaters.
Posted by: arnold | 23 September 2008 at 05:14 PM
Install the guts out of a HONDA 1000is portable generator and you have a plug in hybrid. No electric vehicle should be allowed on the road without a fuel powered range extender just to silence all concerns about range. Some model airplane engines would do as well if a generator were added. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 25 September 2008 at 11:43 PM