Since mid-June, Red Rock Electric Co. has rented neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) on Tybee Island in Georgia.

The small vehicle, manufactured by Chrysler's Global Electric Motorcars division, doesn't operate on gasoline but instead is plugged into a standard 110-volt outlet. Red Rock has a fleet of 10 electric cars, most of which are made by Global Electric.

The four-seater, which is 4.5 feet wide by 10.5 feet long, rents for $20 an hour, and the slightly larger six-seater (4.5 feet wide by 13.5 feet long) rents for $30 an hour—both with a two-hour minimum.

The group also plans to sell the small cars.

GEM cars have a maximum speed of 25-mph and a full charge can run about 30 miles. The GEM neighborhood electric vehicle is designed for downtown driving, college campuses, formal and informal office campuses, planned communities, industrial parks, military bases, resorts, and similar localized uses.