GEM becomes Green Eco Mobility, introduces Peapod prototype

While Chevy makes quite a to-do about the upcoming Volt hybrid, GM-cousin Chrysler has quietly continued to produce over 38,000 real, honest to gosh electric cars in its GEM sub-division. In need of a little eco-PR boost, Global Electric Motorcars is re-branding itself as Global Eco Mobility and introducing the Peapod. No, not that Peapod, or that Peapod, but a new Peapod that will travel up to 30 miles at 25 mph on an eight hour charge -- stats that sound suspiciously identical to the company's earlier Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (when not in muddin' guise, at least). But, that car doesn't sport bulbous looks on the outside nor gratuitous iPod integration on the inside (pictured below), which, if you don't have to go far or fast, might make it the perfect accessory for your pod when it enters production sometime next year for an undisclosed price.

[Via Register Hardware]

[Jaden @ Sep 30th 2008 3:45AM]

Christ... imagine getting broadsided by a semi in this thing...

X_x

[Blackstar @ Sep 30th 2008 5:58AM]

Why.... why for the love of all that is holy, do auto manufactures and designers for some inexplicable reason seem to equate the future of economical automotive travel with hideous deathtraps? Is it so hard to design a simple, cost effective, safe and economical vehicle without making it look as ugly as sin and incapable of surviving a collision with a distracted butterfly at 15 miles per hour?

I can only speculate this is intentional to keep gas powered cars in the market for another 5 decades because no one in their right mind would use these horrendous alternatives these people are coming up with. So far the Chevy Volt and Tesla roadster seem to be the only future automotive designs even remotely grounded in reality.

[sip @ Sep 30th 2008 6:19AM]

blackstar -

This is for scutteling around in a city... like a four person vespa. Vespa's aren't that safe... Getting broadsided in either would suck pretty hard

[Ivaylo @ Sep 30th 2008 7:32AM]

Blackstar, don't forget Fisker Karma

[Yoshi @ Sep 30th 2008 8:02AM]

Blackstar - There was a Dilbert cartoon about that exact thing. Or maybe it was just Scott Adams talking about it. Whatever.

On the plus side, if you get the car with the iPod dock, you can use the iPod as an external battery and double your mileage.

[konshuss @ Sep 30th 2008 9:46AM]

the designers of this garbagewagon seem to have a foot fetish. we don't need to see your feet gross in sandles, folks. we sure as hell don't need to see your grimy toes squishing against the gas pedal while you enjoy the smell of your own farts.

[Frankenstein Black @ Sep 30th 2008 11:39AM]

Lets get our heads out of the 20th century “mind trap”! It’s all about materials (i.e. carbon nanotubes, Lexan XL-100, transparent aluminum, etc.), and not just the “appearance” of the design’s structure. This thing could be better crash resistant than a Hummer if the right materials are used. Just Sayin...

[David Freese @ Sep 30th 2008 11:46AM]

Getting broadsided by a semi in anything would suck. Safety can be reasonable precautions, but to protect against the scenario you put forth would require a tank to be safe.

[Senior Cargage @ Sep 30th 2008 3:58PM]

Yea, I get nailed by a semi AT LEAST once a week! Then everyone in the office is all like "Hey Jim, did you get nailed by a semi again?" and then I'm like "Yea, I did." Then everyone has a good laugh.

[Blackstar @ Sep 30th 2008 7:57PM]

@ sip

I know exactly what it is. It's a golf cart with an ankle window and an iPod dock and I'm saying we don't need them. Not only that but they are hurting the potential acceptance of future fossil fuel free vehicles in the minds of the public. They need more like the EV-1 and less like toys. People need more general transportation options and less specific single task oriented ones.

@ Ivaylo

The Karma's 80,000+ price point puts that out of most practical auto buyers. That's a luxury range, not general purpose.

@ Frankenstein Black

And a car made of those materials would be so expensive as be beyond financial inviable. Just because it's possible, does not make it practical. People don't need to go shopping wrapped in carbon fiber and radar absorbing stealth paint. They do however need a car about $20,000 - $25,000 dollars that gets good milage and can survive a 50-60+ mile an hour highway accident.

@ Senior Cargage

You may never have a car accident in your entire life. But if you do you and walk away you will be thanking your lucky stars that you did. Drive this anywhere outside your own driveway or a golf course and the only thing you'll be doing is donating your organs. See that happen to someone you love and you'll feel very different about it.

[loosely_coupled @ Sep 30th 2008 8:33PM]

This is obviously not meant for the current world. This would be useful though in a planned city type of environment for short trips around town. Obviously this would be far into the future when new cities are redesigned and the only traffic you would drive with would be vehicles that are similar in size to this.

[mouse @ Sep 30th 2008 3:52AM]

I'd hate to see a crash from the side in this vehicle.

[Willj @ Sep 30th 2008 3:53AM]

Oh god my eyes, they burn! >.

[iEye @ Sep 30th 2008 4:49PM]

The car, like the driver is happy, because it can commute without giving those oil whores any money!
and I oeby the posted sped limits, unlike the rest of you...

Shareef don't like it!, rock the casbah!

[Willj @ Sep 30th 2008 3:55AM]

Where the heck can you drive only 25 mph and not piss off the people behind you? Seems rather silly to me.

[Galley @ Sep 30th 2008 7:34AM]

Vehicles like these are street legal in areas where the speed limit is 35 mph or less, such as city centers.

[opus @ Sep 30th 2008 7:47AM]

Peachtree City, GA....golf cart capital of the world. 70-mile system of cart paths.

[brian @ Sep 30th 2008 4:06PM]

Practically every city on) earth. I drive to work every day on the same route (fastest route there is to get across town) and at the end of the week when I compare my miles driven with my time driven, the average speed is about 25 mph. Yes, it's true that the speed limits are 30-45 mph on those roads, but what point is there to drive the speed limit when you can't actually average the speed limit? My point is, if you actually drive the speed limit, you sit at red lights, but if you drive slower, you get there in the same time, but you don't ever stop moving (and you use MUCH less fuel).

[IsLNdbOi @ Sep 30th 2008 4:01AM]

The wheels! They're so tiny!

[gad get @ Sep 30th 2008 4:19AM]

Correction: Volt plug-in hybrid, not Volt hybrid. There's a big difference.

[Casper @ Sep 30th 2008 10:15AM]

Looks like a Mitsubishi i mated with a Bertone Marzal and the offspring fell down the ugly tree.

[Troels C @ Sep 30th 2008 4:47AM]

Funny how car doors always start out to be huge, until some engineer tells the designers that its just not gonna hold up in a crash.

[Andre @ Apr 29th 2009 2:10PM]

Chrysler is not a GM company...

[Troels C @ Sep 30th 2008 5:05AM]

Thanks for the info, but it doesn't really say so in the article.

[ahdok @ Sep 30th 2008 5:05AM]

I don't like the idea of people I run over in this thing being able to look up my girlfriend's skirt.

There's a reason the bottom half of cars are opaque, and I guess that's not it.

[Marko @ Sep 30th 2008 5:54AM]

only for girls with nice legs!

[Marko @ Sep 30th 2008 5:54AM]

and short skirts....

[Michael LaFramboise @ Sep 30th 2008 6:19AM]

Cool, an iPod dock on wheels :)

[Andy TGD @ Sep 30th 2008 2:45PM]

Yeah, at least you can listen to your iPod whilst the emergency services try to pry what's left of you from between the steering wheel.

[Mark @ Sep 30th 2008 6:41AM]

Getting a bit more serious now... the thing that I find most stupid about this car is the charging time / distance / speed part. I mean, seriously - it needs an 8 hour charge just to travel 30 miles? And at 25mph? Given that a lot of other electric cars out there offer something like 3x, 4x more "oomph" per hour charged, this is a non starter.

[dave smith @ Sep 30th 2008 7:35AM]

I work at a Chrysler dealership that carries the GEM line. sure, they're cool in a 'I'm retired and shipping this thing to the condo in Florida' sort of way, but they are also about $9000. Yep. for what is essentially a super golfcart with blinkers, it's waaaay overpriced. electric vehicles, especially ones with limited range and speed like the GEM's, will not go mainstream when the same money will buy you something that comes with doors.

[bartoron @ Sep 30th 2008 8:09AM]

On the bright side, it does have very good visibility... in more ways than one.

[B.C. @ Sep 30th 2008 8:11AM]

Look at what electric car companies like Tesla are developing: good looking, powerful, useful, long ranged electric cars... while the Big Three (chrysler in this case) keep building hideous, slow, effeminate, gaudy 1980's versions of the future (Volt).

They're taking a preemptive strike against electric cars by intentionally making them ugly and undesirable in every way (EV-one).

Why? Because an electric car has 1 moving part in the motor, the armature (on bearings) to wear out; compared to the internal combustion engine has hundreds and hundreds of parts that wear out. So an electric car could last you decades, even a lifetime without needing any mechanical work or replacing... which is very bad for the car selling business.

We won't see good EV's from manufacturers until competition from start ups like Tesla light an electrical fire under their butts.

[rcappo @ Sep 30th 2008 8:56AM]

That is why I am converting my own S-10 to electric (and rust-proofing it along the way. I'll spend the extra few dollars to use stainless steel parts or aluminum that will look just as good 20 years from now. It will still be under $8,000.

And besides the size increase, pick-up trucks haven't changed their appearance too much in the past 30 years.

[theflew @ Sep 30th 2008 2:16PM]

The Tesla while a nice looking car is useless people mover for the masses. It's like a large go cart. Tesla is now just getting a modified Lotus out the door, how long and how much will it cost to get a electric family car out the door? GM is making the correct moves with the Volt because as batteries get cheaper so does the cost of their car.

All electrics aren't that plausible until I know I'll never be stranded.

[Jesse @ Sep 30th 2008 8:34AM]

This thing needs a toy key that spins while you drive..........

[Das Boot @ Sep 30th 2008 8:41AM]

I think i would definately get this car. For one, think of all the chicks you'll pick up with it. All women are attracked to Eco-Friendly cars. Who wouldn't want to get to second base in the backseat of this thing? its awesome, as soon as i turn 16, im going to tell my dad to buy me this and i shall call it "Puss in Boots"

[ipubs bastard child @ Oct 1st 2008 5:22AM]

you're going to die a virgin.

[John Stracke @ Sep 30th 2008 9:04AM]

My drive (to the train station) is only about 6 miles, and there's no way I can get there without going through at least two 40mph zones. Trying to make that drive in a car that couldn't do more than 25 would qualify me as Jerk Of The World.

[Galley @ Sep 30th 2008 9:26AM]

There's a company in downtown Greenville, SC that uses 6-passenger GEMs for its taxi service.
http://greenerville.com/

[thehumanyawn @ Sep 30th 2008 10:06AM]

When will the auto makers realize that the public doesn't need yet another NEV and actually build us an electric car that is practical for most people?

[Frankie @ Sep 30th 2008 10:14AM]

What are you guys talking about? This thing is trendy; look at the placement of the door handles.. It has suicide doors! Fitting for a suicide car! :p

[Adam @ Sep 30th 2008 11:04AM]

GEM does not build 'real, honest to gosh' electric cars. It builds real, honest to gosh, electric golf carts. There's a big difference...

[dildo @ Sep 30th 2008 11:09AM]

iDie

[Johnny Pixels @ Oct 7th 2008 9:23AM]

How come everyone seems to think they can anaylse the crashworthiness of a vehicle by looking at a picture of it? Car companies could save a lot of money by jsut hiring you guys instead having to do crash tests.

For what it's worth, firstly modern cars are don't get any rigidity from their doors. Their crashworthiness comes from the chassis and body design.

Secondly, nothing stands up well to being hit in the side by a semi, but then the majority of crashes occur from in front or behind, slightly off-centre.

Thirdly these are concept images, the glass doors allow you to see inside the car without having to peer through the window, it's fairly common for designers and manufacturers to do this.

Finally, my degree is in automotive engineering.

[Mark @ Sep 30th 2008 1:00PM]

Why does every single electric car come out with FAIL written all over it? Either they are extremely ugly (like this one), or they can't travel at decent speeds? 25mph? What a joke!

The only companies that seem to want to produce an electric car that isn't ugly, and that can go at highway speeds are GM and Tesla. Everyone else puts out pieces of crap like this that no one wants, and then says "We tried to make electric cars, but they didn't sell well."

Bull..shit. Make an electric car that LOOKS like a normal car, and that can reach highway speeds, and people WILL buy. People won't buy turds on wheels that can only be used in residential areas.

[Magallanes @ Sep 30th 2008 2:18PM]

Yes, or they are fugly, or they are slow as hell (a bit quick rather a golf car).

But there also a ultra-expensive models. Do you want to "save" money in gas acquiring an over $100k car?. I don't think so.

[B.C. @ Sep 30th 2008 6:04PM]

The Tesla may have a sticker price of $100k, but I wonder what a GM, Ford or Dodge would cost if they didn't constantly get bail-outs errr R & D grants from the government(s). The U.S. feds have or are giving 25 billion to the big three starting this year as a 'R & D' fund; up here in ontario both provincial governments gave the GM plant 450million a piece in recent years.

I would like to know where all this money is being spent and how much the garish Escalade on my street cost ME in tax subsidies?

If electric car companies got a fraction of that 25 billion we would be much closer to an affordable EV sedan- instead of the red herring the big three keep trying to serve us.

[Caleb @ Oct 1st 2008 1:08AM]

@B.C.

I quote: The Tesla may have a sticker price of $100k, but I wonder what a GM, Ford or Dodge would cost if they didn't constantly get bail-outs errr R & D grants from the government(s). The U.S. feds have or are giving 25 billion to the big three starting this year as a 'R & D' fund; up here in ontario both provincial governments gave the GM plant 450million a piece in recent years

I agree that this money for 'R&D' is going to the wrong people. Give 25 startups that are willing to innovate $1 billion each paid out incramentaly based on progress. Set specific goals. First one to hit those goals gets paid first. The more innovation the higher percentage of the 'R&D' you get. First one to make an all electric family car that seats 5, charges in a 1/2 hour with a range of 150 miles that will sell for $14,000 (or less) gets a lump sum of another billion and two of the startups that are on the bottom end loose all there funding. Next goal same spec's except range had to hit 200 miles, then 300. After that goals work on faster charging to ultimatly get it down to 10 min. Yes all these are difucult goal but not impossable with the current state of technology and cutting edge 'R&D'. Is the government likely to do this? No. Startups generaly don't have lobbyists. Ulitimatly these goals may be met by the current auto manufacturers but they do not have a compelling reason to do this quickly. The longer it takes the longer that 'R&D' money is going to keep coming and the longer they can milk the old tech for profit.

[FThorn @ Sep 30th 2008 1:31PM]

I like it except for the smile.
I crave a life where 25 mph would suffice. NO rushing around, trying to 'win' on the road. Just relax and soak up life.