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DOE News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2004

NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
Steve Zollinger, 208-526-9590, gaz@inel.gov

DOE completes testing of four neighborhood electric vehicle 2005 models from Global Electric Motorcars, LLC (GEM)

The U.S. Department of Energy, through its Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity, has completed Baseline Performance testing of four 2005 Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEVs) models from Global Electric Motorcars, LLC (GEM), a DaimlerChrysler Company.

The baseline performance testing included: range, acceleration, top speed, braking, handling, gradeability and charging efficiency tests. The range test results for the GEMs varied from 37 to 44 miles per charge (actual range may differ depending upon road and weather conditions), and the payloads ranged from 526 to 886 pounds per vehicle. Each vehicle required less than seven hours to fully charge using a standard household outlet. Each GEM went a distance of between 5.4 and 5.9 miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which means that the fuel costs were less than two cents per mile (assumes 10 cents per kWh).

The standard features on the 2005 GEMs included: front-wheel drive, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, regenerative braking, three-point safety belts and onboard battery chargers.

These elements of the Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity are managed for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy from the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho

Baseline performance testing fact sheets for the 2005 GEMs, as well as the 10 other NEVs previously tested, can be found at http://avt.inel.gov/nev.html. The testing specifications and procedures also can be found at this location.

The configurations for the four 2005 GEMs tested were:
* Two-passenger sedan
* Four-passenger sedan
* Two-passenger with a short bed
* Two-passenger with a long bed

Additional information about the GEMs, of which approximately 30,000 have been produced, can also be found at the GEM Web site www.gemcars.com.

NEVs, which are also known as low-speed-vehicles (LSVs), are generally licensed to operate on streets with speed limits up to 35 mph, and they are increasingly being used in industrial, residential, government and international applications.  Additional NEV licensing information can be obtained at the Electric Drive Transportation Association’s LSV Web site http://www.electricdrive.org/index.php?tg=articles&idx=More&topics=54&article=219  

DOE, through its Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity, conducts Accelerated Reliability and Fleet testing on hybrid, neighborhood and urban electric vehicles, as well as hydrogen-powered internal combustion vehicles. (The Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity is a DOE activity within the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technology Program.) The testing activity performs unbiased baseline performance testing to help fleet managers and other vehicle purchasers make informed purchase and operations decisions.

For more information on the program and its testing methods and activities, visit the Field Operations Program Web page http://ev.inel.gov/fop, or contact Jim Francfort at francfje@inel.gov (208) 526-6787.

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