World leaders including U.S. President George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Russian President Vladimir Putin and heads of other leading nations will travel in clean, quiet GEM electric vehicles at this summer's Group of 8 (G8) Summit at Sea Island, Georgia.
DaimlerChrysler is providing 38 GEMs for use at the summit, that will bring together the leaders of the world's major industrial democracies for three days of talks June 8-10.
Each head of state will have use of a custom-designed GEM decorated with their nation's national flag.
"These are amazing cars and are ideal for our needs. They look great, function flawlessly, and are sensitive to the environment," said Barry Bennett, Director of Communications for the Summit.
GEMs are produced by Global Electric Motorcars, a DaimlerChrysler company.
"We are pleased to provide GEM vehicles for this important international event," said Lawrence Oswald, CEO of Global Electric Motorcars. "GEMs provide clean, quiet, convenient, low-cost transportation, and they will fit perfectly into the Summit setting."
GEM is the leading street legal electric vehicle in the country, with more than 28,000 in use. The vehicles are in use in locations such as master planned communities, college and university campuses, military bases, airports, state and national parks, city centers and industrial and commercial parks.
GEMs have a top speed of 25 mph, can be driven on roadways posted up to 35 mph, and meet all Federal safety standards for Low Speed Vehicles. They are classified as zero emission vehicles.
"Our 28,000 customers in the United States and around the world already know the benefits -- and the fun -- of driving our vehicles," said Rick Kasper, President and COO of Global Electric Motorcars in Fargo. "This event is an opportunity for us to show these zero emission vehicles to a wider audience."
In addition to Bush, Blair and Putin, leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, as well as the European Union, are scheduled to attend the summit.
For more information, visit the GEM site.