Not ready to buy a GEM electric microcar? Soon you can simply rent one
GEM, a leader in the Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) industry in the US, has announced that it is teaming up with Joyride to make its electric vehicles rentable as part of the larger shared micromobility market.
You’ve probably seen GEM’s electric vehicles before, even if you didn’t realize it. They’re those bubble-car looking vehicles that seem to be ubiquitous around airports, hotels, malls, sporting centers, and other major venues. They’re classified as LSVs, which is a distinct category from traditional motor vehicles in the US that allows these smaller vehicles to be street legal without meeting all the regulatory requirements of most passenger cars.
While GEM’s LSVs most commonly used in fleets and by commercial operators, they’re also available for purchase by consumers. They’re a bit pricey as a private vehicle though, which makes today’s announcement interesting to everyone out there who doesn’t own a hotel chain or airport.
Thanks to Joyride, you might be able to soon rent one of these vehicles when you need one – just like you would a Lime scooter. In fact, that’s what Joyride does – they make software that companies can use to quickly setup a shared micromobility fleet. I could buy a pile of e-scooters and use Joyride to make my own Bird or Lime competitor, if I was so inclined.
Or perhaps more critically, I could now do the same with GEM’s vehicles. They’ve worked with Joyride to make the IoT-compatible LSVs ready to roll with sharing software.
As explained by Paul Vitrano, Senior VP & Chief Legal and Policy Officer at GEM’s parent company Waev:
Teaming up with Joyride will make four-wheeled, street-legal GEM LSVs IoT-connected for the first time. Having GEM vehicles networked this way will make it painless and profitable to start or maintain a shared-use deployment capable of being controlled and managed by mobile devices.
Vince Cifani, Joyride’s founder and CEO, elaborated on the environmental impacts of the partnership:
With their compact footprint and low-speed travel, LSVs are efficient, sustainable and fun – while capable of transforming urban mobility and shared-use applications. Partnering with Waev on their GEM products furthers our global mission by providing shared mobility operators with a new option – and increased vehicle capabilities – in sustainable travel.
Joyride’s software is quite advanced, making it easy for a new operator to get set up with a shared micromobility fleet without the need for starting a billion dollar company like Bird (at least back when Bird was valued at a billion dollars). The software covers all of the fleet management concerns, offers geofencing and analytics, and even includes features like a sobriety test consisting of an in-app game that someone too drunk to operate a vehicle presumably couldn’t complete. The software covers all of the aspects of fleet management from payment gateways and verification to operating tools and customer service.
Those wanting to test out one of GEMs vehicles can do so at the Micromobility America show in San Francisco today and tomorrow, where the announcement was just made.
Electrek’s Take
I love it!
If you know me and my coverage, you’ll know I love LSVs and microcars. GEMs vehicles are the most popular LSVs in the US, and this could help them find even more drivers. As car replacements in urban areas, a vehicle like a GEM is hard to beat – if you don’t need to go over 25 mph (40 km/h). Considering traffic often moves at much less than that in crowded city centers, an efficient GEM can be a great alternative to a heavy, dangerous car. As a driver, I’d rather drive one of these. And as a pedestrian, I’d rather get hit by one of these than a “real” car. I guess I’d rather not get hit at all, if I have the choice, but at the rate that pedestrian deaths in the US are increasing, it seems many don’t have that choice. So smaller, lighter, and more efficient car-alternatives are a great move for everyone.
Joyride also deserves some props here, too. That software is a great way to democratize shared micromobility, and it means you don’t need to be a massive organization with a room full of programmers to begin getting these vehicles out into operation. I’ve never been prouder to wear my Joyride socks I got for free at the last Micromobility trade show.
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Environment
Baidu- and Geely-backed JiYue brand unveils ROBO X EV that goes 0-100 km/h in under 1.9 sec
JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.
JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.
The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.
In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.
In December 2023, Baidu and Geely unveiled a second model called the JiYue 07. It was born from JIDU’s ROBO-02 concept, which debuted in 2023 and was designed to compete against the Tesla Model 3 in China.
The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:
JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now
JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.
When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:
For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.
Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).
The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.
Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.
Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.
What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We also have a Patreon if you want to help us to avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:30 a.m. ET):
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Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.
U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
- West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
- Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
- RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
- Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.
The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.
A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.
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