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SUNNY Temp: 78 °F Wind: SSE at 5 mph Friday, August 1, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 18, 2003 Glen Clark of Medford says he rides his Global Electric Motorcar just around the golf course at the Rogue Valley Country Club. The new neighborhood electric vehicles by DaimlerChrysler are street-legal and can go as fast as 35 mph. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Electric avenue for drivers Golfers aren’t the only ones behind the wheel of those doorless, plugged-in motorcars By SEAN PENNELL for the Mail Tribune Chances are good there are no rivers to ford, mountains to climb or glaciers to overcome on your way to the grocery store or country club. So for those little jaunts, you can leave the Humvee in the driveway and take a leisurely ride down the street in your other car: a golf cart. The entrepreneurial spirit has provided Americans with a new alternative — GEM cars (described by Popular Mechanics as a "golf cart on steroids"). "It has all the features of a car except doors," says GEM owner Glen Clark of Medford. "You can get doors, though." Made by DaimlerChrysler, the Global Electric Motorcars are street-legal in most states (including Oregon and California) and have top speeds of about 35 mph. Advertisement You can find them along Highway 99 just north of Phoenix. But they’re going fast. GEMs are "good for cruising around Ashland," says Brian Sinclair, employee at Barry’s Auto Body, which has been selling GEMs for several months. Sinclair’s boss, Mike Thompson, "got a deal" on 14 of these little cars, of which all but two had been sold when this story was written. Chrysler’s new neighborhood electric vehicles are meant for "short trips to the grocery store, video store, or other community destinations," according to its Web promotions. NEVs plug into a 110-volt household outlet and come in four models, including a short-bed and long-bed for farm or nursery labor. As an added incentive, the IRS is willing to credit up to $4,000 or 10 percent of the vehicle cost for owning an electric car. The basic two-seater retails for $6,995; the other models approach $9,000, excluding accessories such as doors and the indispensable links-pac for storing golf clubs. GEMs can resemble a golf cart as little or as much as the customer desires. Global Electric Motorcars LLC of Fargo, N.D., was founded by a group of GM engineers and first started producing electric cars in 1998. In December 2000, Daimler-Chrysler purchased the fledgling company, making GEMs more widely available. The company has manufactured more than 26,000 vehicles. Once Barry’s sells out, interested buyers will have to go down to California to make a purchase. The Rogue Valley does not host a licensed GEM dealer. "A couple of people came up saying, ‘I want one of those,’ " says Clint Warren at Lithia Chrysler. Adds co-worker Luke Daniels, "I got one (customer) who lived seven blocks from the country club." Clark, a masonary contractor and member of the Rogue Valley Country Club, found his handsome blue GEM in Northern California. "A couple of us went to Eureka and a few others found them in Redding," he recalls. "I’d say there’s at least 10 at the club. There has been a lot of good deals lately." Clark lives a half-mile from the Hillcrest Road country club. He can charge his car nightly at home. "It lasts about 30 miles on a charge; that’s quite a few times around this golf course," he says. "There are golfing communities where these have become the main mode of transportation." Clark, however, will not be seen at the grocery store in his GEM. He has never taken his neighborhood electric vehicle anywhere other than the golf course. "Well, you know," he says, "we have cars for that." Sean Pennell is a free-lance writer living in Medford. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times