5 hp, 72-volt GE electric motor, coil spring independent front suspension, trailing arm coil spring rear suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes with regenerative braking. Wheelbase: 102 in.

In 1992, a group of former General Motors engineers formed Trans2 Corporation in Livonia, Michigan. By 1995, they had designed an advanced electric vehicle using an aluminum frame and composite body materials. Their target market was customers in California and Arizona, where state laws allowed the use of alternative vehicles on certain city and neighborhood streets. Called the Personal Community Vehicle, their design was shown at a number of sustainable energy shows.

By 1998, the company had been sold to a group of Midwestern investors and moved to Fargo, North Dakota. The new owners renamed it Global Electric Motorcars and adopted the GEM brand for their vehicles. Their fortunes were favored by rulemaking at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), which defined a new class of “low speed vehicles,” latterly called “neighborhood electric vehicles,” or NEVs. GEM started producing a range of models, including two-seaters, four-seaters, and a number of two-seat cargo vehicles. Following the NHTSA rulemaking, many other states revised their statutes to allow use of NEVs on certain types of public highways. Global Electric Motorcars LLC was acquired by DaimlerChrysler Corporation in December 2000.

GEM NEVs are now legal for street use in nearly all states and more than 45,000 have been sold. Their primary markets, however, have remained in the retirement communities in Arizona and California. GEM remained with Chrysler Group LLC after the DaimlerChrysler divorce. Polaris Industries, best known for snowmobiles and all terrain vehicles, purchased GEM in July 2011.

This 2006 GEM e4 is the popular four-passenger model. Unlike most golf cars, GEM vehicles have full road lighting, four-wheel disc brakes, coil-over shock independent suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, and street-rated tires. They are usable on streets where the speed limit is 35 mph or less.

Showing virtually no use, it is in excellent condition. Entirely self-contained, it has an onboard charger, a top speed of 25 mph, and a range of 30 miles. Ideal for many fair-weather communities, it has other uses in industrial plants and on educational campuses.