Tech & Biz

GM, Segway to Make PUMA Vehicle

by Jordan Yerman | April 7, 2009 at 06:46 am

406 views | 24 Recommendations | 8 comments

General Motors (struggling automaker) is teaming up with Segway (geek-mover) to produce a new two-wheeled vehicle for the urban landscape called the PUMA.

It looks like someone took a SMART car and squeezed it- indeed, it's far more car-like (and faster) than the Segway, and so will hopefully--- for both GM and Segway-- prove more mass-market-friendly: the Segway is banned on many city streets because it's too big to be considered a bike, and too slow and exposed to be considered a car.

The struggling auto maker, surviving on a government lifeline, is looking to generate enthusiasm for its increasingly uncertain future ahead of the New York auto show this week.

GM has slashed product-development programs, advertising and spending on auto-show events. But it will take to the streets of Manhattan on Tuesday to show off a prototype of the vehicle, called PUMA, for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility.

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Edmund Jenks

at 07:16 on April 7th, 2009

This is more of what we can expect from an automobile company owned and operated by the Federal Government and Unions - Clown Cars, and Scooters!

OK,OK! So they're hi-tech.

Where is and updated and Green refined version of the 1957 Chevy with a 0-100 in under 9 seconds acceleration that runs on Hydrogen or Electricity and costs under $20,000!

Jordan Yerman

at 10:39 on April 7th, 2009

This former NYC resident would have far more use for a microcar than for my old muscle car, which would be completely useless in New York, even if I could park it safely.

The trick is getting the microcar to look a bit more... cool.

Mary Richard

at 07:44 on April 7th, 2009

It looks like the lil yellow taxis in Cuba. Funny looking ...

Uwe Paschen

at 08:35 on April 7th, 2009

Well, that car may actually find some buyers in Japan.

Jordan Yerman

at 10:24 on April 7th, 2009

The grid is the key, indeed. The future of alt-fuel cars lies not in the cars themselves, but in a reliable, scalable, and profitable network of refueling/recharging stations. The Better Place project focuses on this.

The existing infrastructure would not be overtaxed at all, since there's no conceivable way that all of our cars (or even "millions of [them]") would magically become electric overnight: The electric grid would have a long, long time (I bet ten years minimum from the hypothetical inception of an electric-car recharge scheme) to beef up before everyone finally got rid of fuel-burners and bought new (and, by that point, some used) electric cars.

(There are, by the way, hackers out there who have altered existing muscle-cars to hybrid, alt-fuel or electric drive, but the process is... labor intensive. Still, having a '68 Firebird with full-time 100% torque would be all kinds of awesome, and I'd have all kinds of speeding tickets)

israeli.agent

at 12:53 on April 7th, 2009

"The trick is getting the microcar to look a bit more... cool."

Do you mean to say something like this?

REVA is a battery electric vehicle designed for low speed, congested, urban conditions and is classified as a quadricycle (category L7e) under UK and European law.
REVA is designed to be unique and stands out on the road as a genuine city car with a mature expression. The advanced technologies used, make it highly differentiated and superior to other makes. It has all the inherent benefits of an Electric Car and is indeed a revelation in city mobility.

Easiest car to drive:
It is a fully automatic (no clutch - no gears), two-door hatchback, easily seats two adults and two children. A small turning radius of just 3.5 metres makes it easy to park and maneuver in difficult city traffic conditions.
Driving the REVA is easy. Just unplug after completing the charging process, turn the key, disengage the parking brake, and turn the control knob to the forward (or reverse) position. Accelerate and take off.

.Agent.

Jordan Yerman

at 13:09 on April 7th, 2009

Actually... yeah.

israeli.agent

at 13:35 on April 7th, 2009

Thought so :-)

Another point that Segway banned in many streets because of some identity crisis...lol. This is not only the misfortune of Segways, but it's three wheeled , ancient brethren too had to face similar hurdles in some western countries because the authorities did not know initially whether to classify them as bikes or cars...!

As fuel prices spiral upwards, three-wheelers represent a viable alternate in America, especially in ever more congested urban areas. Several companies are now selling three-wheelers, mainly imported from China and India in the U.S. In most states they are classified as motorcycles, unlike their four-wheel counterparts that are considered as off-road vehicles, so they can be operated on public roads. However, because their top speeds are usually only about 40 mph, they are not freeway-capable. Also since they don't have to meet the Federal safety standards for on-road, four-wheel vehicles, or even neighborhood electric vehicles, they are easily imported and sold for significantly lower prices.