By, Aaron Adelson
Aadelson@kcautv.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AAdelsonKCAU
Electric cars are beginning to gain traction in the market, and you might be surprised to find out some of them are made right here in Siouxland.
This is an electric car, and it's made right here in Siouxland!
They're called GEM cars. 30 people at the Polaris plant in Milford, Iowa make them.
The cars are made to order, so every one being built is already paid for, and business is booming.
"Very busy...As busy as we want to be, but certainly prepared for growth," said Brian Randolph, GEM cars/Polaris Industries.
Gem car is part of Polaris industries. Polaris employees had to compete to make the electric cars. Once chosen, they received special training. The Milford plant just opened in December.
"It is extremely satisfying when you get done at the end of the day, and you look around like hmm I was really part of something big today. It's been a great opportunity," said Jennifer Moore, GEM car.
The cars are street legal on roads with speed limits 35 MPH and lower. The starting price to buy one is around $10,000.
"You see em a lot of times around college campuses, military installations, that type of thing, airports, that type of stuff," said Randolph.
Charging a gem car takes about 8 hours, and it can travel about 30 miles on a full battery.
