Because Chrysler's GEM division is already making a neighborhood EV, and because they have obviously invested in designing this entirely new model that learns from the wind tunneling done by Mitsubishi for their iMiEV, and because of the gorgeousness of the resulting design, I think that this is one EV that we will actually get, and lots of them.
GEM's old GEM had always looked so tiresomely fuddyduddy-ish at the Global Electric...yawn... Motors site, that whenever I'd mention it online, rather than link to there, I would drag out one of these pictures to show what was actually so bare-bones cool about it: Simran Sethi, the Treehugger journalist roughing it on a windfarm or this hopped up version at Pismo Beach.
True, like all neighborhood electric vehicles, the GEM was going to take a serious hunk out of your day to get anywhere far at that speed limited 25 mph, but for just around town? Just fine.
While it was clearly a neglected corner of Chrysler's business, I had started seeing more of them around my neighborhood anyway, at the farmers market and even zipping along at what must have been a souped up 40 mph --with oh, dear; no sides!
So what good news it is that Chrysler has also shaken off some of its cobwebs and taken a new look at its old GEM brand and seen it for the gem it really can be.
So, now that division is not called (ho hum) Global Electric Motors any more - its now GreenEcoMobility! and unlike the poor GEM the new car they make actually gets its own name: the iPod-like peaPod! and even one of those new fangled singing website thingies!
Some real marketing has gone into this. And indeed you can plug in your iPod and be generally catered to like the discerning and hip green customer you really are!
Just look at the gorgeous new design of the Peapod compared with these other Chrysler vehicles that Chrysler claims will be EVs in a trice, two: RE-EVs like the Volt, (electric vehicles with sensible little range-extenders), and the sportscar, why, it will go just as fast and as far as the Tesla Roadster, just like that.
Both in attention to design and in size, the Peapod is much more like the French design firm Venturi's Eclectic than the old GEM: like the Eclectic it is simply huge: compare it to this sportscar from Chrysler.
There is something reassuring about that solidity and spaciousness in a zero emissions EV. But next they should pop in G.M.'s range-extender from the Volt, to get the kids to the beach and home, and that's how GEM will be reborn as GreenEcoMobility.
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