All-electric GEM vehicle gets off-road makeover
By Darren Murph 
posted Jun 16th 2007 10:15AM
posted Jun 16th 2007 10:15AM
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I gotta say, that is the dumbest looking vehicle I've seen in a long time.
just don't take any sharp corners!
hehe, hilarious!
ah, and what are the fuel tank and exhaust for?... all-electric you say?.. i can even see bits of the petrol engine...
Just because a car can operate purely off of electricity doesn't mean that you wouldn't want some good old fashioned locomotion in case you ran out of juice while away from and electric outlet.
Looking at this photograph, I can see an alternator connected to what appears to be a combustion engine.
http://www.autobloggreen.com/gallery/hacked-gem-atv/275575/
It looks pretty obvious to me that they've converted this thing to run off a gasoline engine after all - look at that tank on the back.
Lifting golf carts and 'utility vehicles' like these is pretty common in the golf cart industry. They try to go after people who want to go slower than a four-wheeler ATV and such.
Is it just me, or does that thing have an exhaust pipe, and what appears to be a motorcycle engine.
Check the second picture near the far tire for the pipe and look up above and to the left for what appears to be a four stroke quad or motorcycle engine with a quad's CVT transmission.
Yup, this is not "electrical" anymore....
Isn't it customary to blur the license plate number?
not anymore. I could just go into Google StreetView and get the info :)
Wow that car is ugly as sin. I would've taken a small EZ-GO or something like my neighbor across the alley, but this car sucks.
WTF is this trash? And engadget, dear god WHY are you reporting on it? Not news......merely a rednecks idea of a golfcart. Nuff said!
miles-per-watt? C'mon guys, you're a tech column.
How about miles-per-watt-hour.
Geez... how 'bout *kilometres*-per-watt-hour!
"Real tech people use metric." ;-)
Just kidding. Use whatever you want, eh?
I hate to admit this considering the replies, but I used to build these-actually welded the frames for them. But that was for the regular GEM car-not this "thing". They are fun to drive and are popping up everywhere, sporting events, commercials for other products, and even on one of the Austin Powers movies.
> without even a hint of carbon dioxide being emitted.
Ummm....only if the electricity came from a solar panel, wind turbine, or nuke plant. And even THOSE technologies have Carbon footprintd, if indirect ones.
MTV!!!...PIMP this RIDE...please.
Add an electric stair lift into that thing then il class it as "electric" ;-)
Um, Well, why would anyone put ITP Mud-lites (and ITP Wheels) on an electric car. (or even one lifted with a gas engine shoved under it)
this makes me want to jack the suspension and ript the doors off my 84 VW rabbit convertible. even that would look better than this thing!
I don't know why, but I really like the insane height on this thing. I don't think it's all that ugly, either. I bet you anything chicks would talk to you if you rolled up in one. :)
Notice that it still retains the Alternative Fuel license plate ... that would make this conversion technically illegal, since it now runs on a gasoline engine.
This thing is hella bad you guys dont know what your talking about because you obviously have never been to Pismo, pismo has dunes and people take golf carts and other toys out there so obviously its understandable why this golf cart is lifted.
Wow! I see these things EVERYWHERE near the beaches out in SoCal. This one is obviously HEAVILY modified. I also think a previous commenter was correct regarding the exhaust and gas tank.