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
Toyota’s best-selling car may finally go electric: Here’s our first look at the Corolla EV
A fully electric Corolla? Toyota’s best-selling car of all time looks to be finally going electric after the automaker previewed the Corolla EV for the first time.
Is Toyota’s best-selling car getting an electric version?
Since it first launched over 50 years ago, the Corolla quickly became one of the most popular vehicles in nearly every pocket of the globe.
In the late 90s, it even surpassed the Volkswagen Beetle to become the best-selling car in the world, not just Toyota’s.
After holding the crown for over two decades, the Toyota Corolla finally lost its title to the Tesla Model Y in 2023. Although it’s still a top-seller globally, the Corolla appears to be in line for its biggest update yet.
Toyota previewed what appears to be a fully electric Corolla for the first time during a live stream event in Japan on Monday. The commercial showed several “never-before-seen cars” that will be unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show later this month.
One of the concepts shown was a new, seemingly electric Corolla. Outside of the big COROLLA logo on the back, you can hardly tell it’s the sedan Toyota currently has on sale today.
The concept features a closed-off grille and an apparent charge port on the front, hinting it is, in fact, electric. It also draws from Toyota’s latest design theme showcased on new EVs like the updated bZ4X and 2026 CH-R Electric.
It also looks nearly identical to the bZ3, a BYD-powered electric sedan that Toyota has been selling in China since 2023.
Toyota didn’t reveal any other details about the concept, but said the vehicle will appear at the Japan Mobility Show, which starts on October 30, 2025. Press days open on October 29, so check back soon for more info.
Electrek’s Take
The Corolla may be going electric, but don’t expect Toyota to drop the internal combustion engine (ICE) version anytime soon.
Given that Toyota is still standing by its commitment to offer vehicles across all powertrain options, even if it does launch an electric Corolla, it will likely be sold alongside ICE, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid variants.
Either way, an electric sedan would fit in Toyota’s EV lineup, which will include mostly SUVs like the bZ4X (now just the 2026 bZ in the US), CH-R+, and Urban Cruiser.
Would an electric Toyota Corolla compete with the Tesla Model 3? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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![Jetson showcases eVTOL racing concept called the Jetson Air Games [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Jetson-eVTOL-racing-hero.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Personal use eVTOL developer Jetson continues to showcase to the public how exciting an aerial eVTOL racing format can be. The company recently showcased a racing format concept it calls the Jetson Air Games, in which four single-rider Jetson ONE eVTOLs raced head-to-head around a series of pylons during the annual UP.Summit. We highly suggest checking out the video footage below.
Jetson is startup founded in 2017 specializing in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. By developing smaller eVTOLs, Jetson originally hailed itself as the first competitor to provide commercially available personal aerial vehicles to the public.
And it has.
Last month, Jetson completed its first global customer delivery, which included a Jetson ONE for Oculus founder and tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey.
Before any customer deliveries, however, Jetson had been teasing the idea of using its flagship eVTOL product for racing purposes. In December 2024, the company released footage showing Jetson co-founder and CTO Tomasz Patan demonstrating the precision and agility of the Jetson ONE by navigating around an 8-meter (26ft) tall pylon.
According to a concurrent release, the pylon was a new item that Jetson began producing to encourage and support plans for a new league of eVTOL races. As we pointed out at the time, Jetson’s eVTOL racing idea was nothing new. A team called Airspeeder in Australia has been doing it for years with its own unique eVTOLs it calls “Speeders.”
While Airspeeder has completed eVTOL races, it has yet to do so with actual pilots on board. That’s the goal, but it still hasn’t happened yet, which left the door open for Jetson to be the first with its tech.
Jetson previews eVTOL racing format at UP.Summit
Jetson shared details of its latest milestone following a successful “aerial showcase” at UP.Summit 2025 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Using four Jetson ONE eVTOLs, which at one point formed a “first-ever” four-vessel formation flight, the company introduced the future concept of the Jetson Air Games.
According to Jetson, its Air Games is a new competitive eVTOL format racing designed to “redefine personal air mobility through dynamic aerial sports.” After the four-eVTOL formation (seen above), the Jetson ONE pilots completed a speedy race around the pylons, followed by a solo aerial session by who else but Tomasz Patan, who was also involved in both the formation and the ensuing race. Patan spoke:
Flying for such a large and engaged audience was incredibly special. It was a moment of pride for our entire team and a clear signal that Jetson is ready to lead the next chapter in aviation—and in aerial sport.
Jetson said its eVTOL racing showcase drew plenty of positive feedback from the audience, as well as several investment inquiries. According to the company, its Jetson ONE order is approaching units, representing $75 million in future sales.
The Jetson ONE currently costs $128,000, but the company shared plans to increase that starting price to $148,000, beginning November 3, 2025. As promised, here’s video footage of Jetson’s racing showcase below:
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After the Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit (Section 45W) expired on September 30, the “experts” rushed out predictions of an EV sales slowdown in Q4. But, with over 6,800 pages in the Internal Revenue Code still in play, a turbocharged Section 179 tax credit could still power a strong Q4 for commercial EVs.
The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) of 2025 gutted America’s energy independence goals and ensuring its auto industry would fall even further behind the Chinese in the EV race, but the loss of Section 45W wasn’t the only change written into the IRS’ rulebook. Section 179, an immediate expense reduction that business owners can take on depreciable equipment assets, has been made significantly more powerful for 2025.
The section 179 expense deduction is limited to such items as cars, office equipment, business machinery, and computers. This speedy deduction can provide substantial tax relief for business owners who are purchasing startup equipment.
The revised Section 179 tax credit (or, more accurately, expense reduction) allows for a 100% deduction for equipment purchases has doubled to $2.5 million, with a phase-out kicking in at $4 million of capital investments that drops to zero at $6.5 million. That credit and can be applied to new and used vehicles, as well as charging infrastructure, battery energy storage systems, specialized tools, and more (as long as they’re new to you).
Work the tax credit
“But wait,” as they say. “There’s more!” A revised Section 168(k) also allows for bonus depreciation on eligible equipment and property, accelerating depreciation for a reduced tax burden.
Fleets can take both the bigger Section 179 and 168(k) bonus depreciation allowances, but Section 179 must be applied first, leaving only qualifying purchases over the $2.5 million limit to be taken in bonus depreciation.
It’s a bit convoluted (what good tax code isn’t?), but these tax incentives are great for businesses looking to buy enough electric equipment assets to exceed the Section 179 spending limit – and, given the new Uber/Tesla semi truck purchase plan, the continued growth of the electric terminal tractor market, and the willingness of several utilities to incentivize both electric commercial vehicles and the deployment of smart EV charging infrastructure, that number may be bigger than you think.
Electrek’s Take Disclaimer
Tax law is weird. Not only are there Federal tax laws and rules that need to be followed, but state and even local county and city rules, as well. As such, you want to make sure they don’t get you the way the got Capone.
Even worse, your favorite journalist (Hi!) is probably an idiot. Get a certified accountant and tax law expert to help walk you through the dirtier details of your specific scenario – but don’t let the complexity of human interaction slow you down, either. The really rich guys you know pay pennies on the tax dollar compared to you and me, because they’re not afraid to ask their accountants for help.
The TL;DR version, though, is this: there’s still plenty of incentives out there for fleet operators looking to electrify their operations.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Equipment World, Investopedia, Volvo.
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