GM & Segway???

[Pliablemoose]

Text

The Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project (P.U.M.A. for short) will seek to develop a self balancing two-wheeled vehicle capable of reaching speeds of 35 mph ? well above the Segway's 12 mph top speed -- for 35 miles.

Instead of the more common single track of a motorcycle, this electric vehicle will borrow the side-by-side arrangement popularized on the original Segway Personal Transporter. A lithium battery will store enough charge to allow the vehicle to travel for up to 35 miles on a single charge. Another interesting feature is the expected ability for each machine to communicate with vehicles around it, reducing the risk of accidents and regulating the flow of traffic.

Cost isn't yet set, but initial projections would place the total cost of ownership for the two-passenger autonomous vehicle at about a quarter of the price of a traditional automobile. The P.U.M.A. project will make its official debut at the New York Auto Show this week.

I'd buy one of these in a flash, although I'm not sure why 2 wheels is better than 4...

 

[MBrown]

Neat!

 

[StageLeft]

I'd buy one of these in a flash, although I'm not sure why 2 wheels is better than 4...

Gimick factor. I suppose it makes it a tiny bit thinner, too.

I'd buy one of these in heartbeat if I wanted to die. Can you imagine one of these even in low-speed traffic being hit? I think a heavy motorbike would give one a good run for its money. If you had to brake suddenly and somebody behind you was too slow it would be a segway sandwich with you being the fresh meat. It does look neat, though.

 

[halik]

Stupid, stupid useless idea. They already make these things with 4 wheels, so you can scoot around your gated community with ease.

There is absolutely no need to have 2 wheels and gyroscopes for this application... add a third wheel and your cost drops 80%

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: halik
Stupid, stupid useless idea. They already make these things with 4 wheels, so you can scoot around your gated community with ease.

There is absolutely no need to have 2 wheels and gyroscopes for this application... add a third wheel and your cost drops 80%

Gyroscopes are expensive?

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: halik
Stupid, stupid useless idea. They already make these things with 4 wheels, so you can scoot around your gated community with ease.

There is absolutely no need to have 2 wheels and gyroscopes for this application... add a third wheel and your cost drops 80%

Gyroscopes are expensive?

Segway cost ~5G, which will put this thing at 10G+

 

[PricklyPete]

I never got the attraction of Segways for able bodied people. Sure I loved it on Arrested Development...but that is because it was ridiculous. Sure, for disabled people or elderly people...I could see the need...but otherwise I have 2 perfectly good legs that can easily cover the same ground and at nearly the same speed that the Segway is intended to be used for.

There is a reason these things never really took off for the general population...why the hell is GM getting involved...seems like the last thing they need to be doing. They need to be trimming down their operations...getting rid of brands they don't need. Not adding products that are likely to fail.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete
I never got the attraction of Segways for able bodied people. Sure I loved it on Arrested Development...but that is because it was ridiculous. Sure, for disabled people or elderly people...I could see the need...but otherwise I have 2 perfectly good legs that can easily cover the same ground and at nearly the same speed that the Segway is intended to be used for.

There is a reason these things never really took off for the general population...why the hell is GM getting involved...seems like the last thing they need to be doing. They need to be trimming down their operations...getting rid of brands they don't need. Not adding products that are likely to fail.

Elderly people don't want to stand on their legs when they travel...

 

[ViviTheMage]

omfg, two people? sweeeet, hahaha.

 

[punjabiplaya]

It's like that toyota thingy they built and was on Top Gear

 

[MovingTarget]

It really is a niche vehicle. Sure, it can be used in heavily urban environments, but it is more suited for places like large corporate and/or industrial campuses. These places are already great for segways, but this would be more of an all-weather version of one, with room for a passenger.

This is in no way designed for people living or commuting to and from the suburbs. To complain that it won't reach interstate speeds isn't a fair category to judge it.

 

[StageLeft]

MovingTarget, why can't those places just use a golf cart? I also never understood the utility of the segway.

 

[DivideBYZero]

I want to mod it for high performance!

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete
I never got the attraction of Segways for able bodied people. Sure I loved it on Arrested Development...but that is because it was ridiculous. Sure, for disabled people or elderly people...I could see the need...but otherwise I have 2 perfectly good legs that can easily cover the same ground and at nearly the same speed that the Segway is intended to be used for.

There is a reason these things never really took off for the general population...why the hell is GM getting involved...seems like the last thing they need to be doing. They need to be trimming down their operations...getting rid of brands they don't need. Not adding products that are likely to fail.

The Segway goes 12mph, which is a pretty good clip to run at. This goes 35mph - do you know of anyone who can run that fast?

I agree though that this looks like a death trap. Also, there's no cargo space! Where would you put even a single bag of groceries or a backpack?

 

[Squisher]

In a short while this will be the only vehicle that will available for purchase in California.