New Delivery
A new 2018 Polaris®/GEM was delivered to Seattle Housing Authority. It will be used at the beautiful new Hoa Mai Gardens facility in Yesler Terrace, Seattle, Washington. The GEM is equipped with hard doors, power steering, heater, electric windshield defroster, 14" aluminum wheels and MacPherson struts. The L-box has a recessed bed with a ramp for loading appliances for the building.
They will be able to charge this all-electric, street-legal battery powered vehicle with either 110V standard or J1772 fast charging. The vehicle has No Noise and No Emissions. So the neighborhood will appreciate its use and Seattle Housing Authority likes the idea of minimal maintenance with no oil changes etc. plus a 3-year factory warranty for minimum expense. Bobby Coleman, Resource Conservation, and Sustainability arranged for the purchase of the GEM vehicle through the NJPA national purchasing program.
Polaris® Introduces the All-New Gem®
New Electric Vehicles Are Engineered for Comfort, Built With More Safety Features and Offer Smart Power Options
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (October 26, 2015)- Polaris® Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII), a recognized leader in the powersports industry, is proudly introducing the all-new Polaris® GEM® . The new GEM has more built-in comfort and street-legal safety features than a golf cart, and is more maneuverable, cost-efficient and sustainable than a truck or van. It offers a spacious interior with a compact footprint and quiet electric power for low-cost, low maintenance operation. GEM is the market leader in the electric low-speed vehicle (LSV) industry and has sold more than 50,000 vehicles worldwide. GEM vehicles have been driven more than 450 million miles, saving almost 20 million gallons of gasoline. And now, the ride is even better. Read more...
Shipping in December
GEM says it's the first in the industry to offer a warranty-backed lithium ion battery. The lithium battery can triple single-charge range, and boost battery cycles by two to three times: "In the entire life of your GEM, you may never need another battery".
Polaris® is offering optional 8.9- and 12.4-kilowatt-hour battery packs. Also new for 2016: an optional J1772 charge port and optional Level 2 charging that’s six times faster than standard – 23 miles of range per hour of charging.
The 2016 GEMs are to begin shipping this December. Polaris® acquired GEM - the former Global Electric Motorcars - from Chrysler in July 2011.
The laregest lithium battery in the smallest GEM equates to single-charge range of about 100 miles. Click here for details.
Emergency? Evs to the Rescue!
Alaska Air at Sea-Tac airport has been using one of our Columbia burden carriers to make emergency luggage runs. We can't think of a better use for one of these work horses!
Polaris® GEM's Commercial Sales Manager, Mark Danley, accompanied with our owner, Jim Johnson, on several demonstrations of the new all-electric plug in utility vehicles eM1400 and the heavy duty eLXD. The eM1400 is 48 volt with an AC drive giving it great performance and carries up to 1,400 pounds with the heavy duty Polaris® suspension systems. It replaces fossil fuel burning vehicles for many applications at golf courses, parks, colleges, resorts and more with its strong silent operations.
Sunny weather last summer was not the only thing that caused DAS' landscape crew to smile. A new workhorse recently joined the team - an all-electric Vantage "green truck" - bringing their small fleet of utility trucks into the 21st century.
"All of our other trucks are still gasoline powered," said manager Tom Barrows, "but we're happy to have our first alternative fuel vehicle. We found out through the process that the state of Oregon will only grant licenses for this type of vehicle if they're electric. And that's the direction we want to go."
In 2013, we had 4 senior engineering students from Seattle University working on their senior project in our shop. Customers donated two ZAP 3 wheel electric cars. The students upgraded the ZAPs to current standards with new software and lithium batteries. They were able to complete the project summer of 2013! Once finished, the students presented this all electric vehicle to Seattle University for the President to show around campus and Seattle, since it is street legal and licensed as a motorcycle. We worked with the students each Saturday with hands on improvements to their car and their documentation for budgets, etc.
Happy buyers, Kurt and Susanne, of new Wheego LiFe with over 100 miles range and highway speed. Their 2 big dogs fit in the back and enjoy the ride with no noise vibrations or emission smells. Everyone is happy!
Dick and Gloria Hill have recently bought this GEM e2 for "Street Legal" use around their Trilogy Redmond retirement community.
"The great advantage with this vehicle is the versatility to use it for going to the bank, shopping etc with a lockable trunk attachment. We can then also use it with the attachable double golf bag carrier to use on our golf course. We have soft side enclosures from Polaris® GEM that allows cold and wet weather use - with no gas or oil or noise!"
The University of Washington Bothell campus is now the greenest campus in the state of Washington with a dozen electric vehicles! Take a look at their newest purchase, a custom Columbia vehicle.
