I have a 2012 e4 that has been a good car and still runs fine. I was wondering if anyone has a new one and what do they think of the improvements in the new Gems?
I don’t own one but… For 16k for a base model GEM e4 I would rather have a fixed up 2008+
I think GEM has the software on the new cars totally locked down right now so they are very slow and can’t be modified to go faster.
I do think the newer cars have a WAY better hard door option if that’s important to you.
Not my review:
“An ac motor has low zero speed torque”
This is certainly the case on our 2018!
As our old and tired 2007 E2 was being driven onto the trailer, with almost dead batteries, the guy laid a strip of rubber, never having driven a GEM.
I miss the instant balls a brush motor provides.
BUT, 123 Whrs/mile is crazy. That’s over 250 MPGe! It costs us $3 a month.
I also like having only 4 batteries on one tray. They balanced to within 10 millivolts.
A lot of thought went into the new cart. It’s pretty well-built too.
A few more details:
I bought it off the lot in March. It was built in the old factory, before the move to California. (January)
It has beautiful 14" wheels
It has a real glass rear window
It has the AGM’s which in theory are an upgrade
It has the optional LED headlights (hi & lo beam finally), and they are better than my ICE car. (They are bolted to steel, so no more flicker)
I had to purchase and install the backup lights, as Polaris only puts them in for certain states. (The wiring is already there).
But, with 11 miles on the clock, it FAILED inspection! My mechanic and I stared in disbelief that there NO reverse lights.
Love the adjustable seats.
As I said, it’s top heavy, and there’s that pesky 3 second wait to take off.
Ours has a lot of gear whine too.
I really want to hear all about the one that you’re getting.
catskill278
A total redesign and a bit wider, different electrical system (48v, ac controller/motor, Polaris ecu and interface), a slower/controlled acceleration (probably due to the 48v system although the 6.5kw upgrade motor isn’t bad), all bucket seats, not as easy to modify or increase speed as of yet, thinner plastic body panels. They can seat taller people more comfortably and look pretty sleek with the full door add-ons. If your looking for a stock setup that will turn heads at 25mph then I’d definitely recommend it.
Here’s the 2016 Polaris GEM Launch Webinar:
Oh and they are discontinuing the red and blue color btw.
I just purchased a 2018 E2 after 10 years with a LSV Par Car. The only reason I didn’t buy the GEM 10 years ago was limited range. The new model w/AGM batteries gives me close to 70 miles on a charge.
My only complaint is the speed. I can’t find a way to increase the top speed. Checking with multiple GPS it goes exactly 25 MPH and no more. Is there any way to increase to 30MPH?
My A/C motor has plenty of acceleration.
70 miles on Flooded lead acid battery’s? Is some one baking “Porky Pies”
The additional $10,000 for lithium batteries is probably a deal breaker for these vehicles. I wonder how many of this optioned GEMs they are selling?
Its pretty much built to order unless the dealership/Polaris wants to demo certain add-ons but odds of them ordering a lithium in advance is slim to none.
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Nate you said you have Flooded lead acid battery’s? And your getting 70 miles range,
Are you sure you don’t have Lithium?
That was Tonyz that said that. You’d be lucky to get 25 miles on flooded lead acid.
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Sorry, I meant Distance AGM battery $1260 option
Is there anyone that has increased the speed with the 48 volt AC mortor?
We are trying to figure this out also. I just thought we would get one of those magic magnets. Any luck?
Hi Tony, Annie here again…I contacted Ride4fun and they have 2 different kits for the 2018 Gem to get it up to 35 MPH. I was wondering if you had any info on this?
Hard to find anyone else with a 2018…
They are both over priced gear sets. May be the best/only way right now.
I’m working on a MM type device, but keep getting side tracked.
I did look into this option awhile back but, 1 – they are on Long Island NY, too far away for me to trust and 2- what they offer is to change the gears which is not too good an idea. GEM warrantee will be void and changing the gears has a reputation for being very noisy. I would really like to change the controller setting to a higher speed. It is computer controlled and no one seems to have an aftermarket computer program to do the override. Polaris can do it but they refuse because the law says LSV’s cannot legally go over 25 MPH.
Hi Tony,
Here is the reply I got from the Ride4fun people.
Ann,
With our kit we recommend switching to rubber motor mounts, and the oil we recommend - the person on facebook didn’t do that, and that is why they are experiencing the noise.
We have clients that have done it with and without the rubber motor mounts, and this definitely addresses the noise issue.
What facebook post/page did you see it on? would love to help them address the issue.
You can always call us (or your mechanic can call us). The upgrade won’t effect anything else in the car. I guess it could cause a warranty issue, but not sure - it shouldn’t, but sometimes dealers can get difficult on warranty issues and look for excuses.
Thanks, Bob
Bob
on the web - http://www.ride-4-fun.com
Call us - 631.544.9572
Ride-4-Fun GEM Car Performance Specialists
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If your having resonance noise from the motor/differential (due to spec tolerances from manufacture) for Gem’s 2016-2018.5 then take it to your Gem dealer if it’s still under warranty. The rubber mount kit is ~$600 but could be covered by Polaris and it really does make a difference.
For the warranty issue, modifying the gear box will void the warranty on it since it is sold as an assembly only and your swapping non OEM parts within.
Any progress on increasing the speed of the AC Motor? In know you said in Feb that you were getting side tracked, but it’ll be July next week. Many of us are looking forward to that solution for our 2017/2018 GEMs.