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Tuesday April 7, 2009
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GM and Segway have announced the Project P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility) prototype, a two-passenger version of the famous Segway that can reach speeds of up to 35 mph and last from 25 to 35 miles on a single charge.
"We are excited to be working together to demonstrate a dramatically
different approach to urban mobility," said Jim Norrod, CEO of Segway, in a statement. "There's an emotional connection you get when using Segway
products. The Project P.U.M.A. prototype embodies this completely
through the combination of dynamic stabilization, seamless
drive-by-wire controls, and sophisticated battery systems to complete
the connection between the rider, environment, and others."
It costs about 60 cents worth of electricity to recharge the lithium-ion batteries in the prototype. The vehicle also features regenerative braking, zero emissions operation, and a turning radius of zero, indicating that it can spin around in place.
Were the vehicle ever to go into production, there's no word yet on how much it would cost, though both companies theorize that it would "probably [be] less than most current small car prices." For more information, check out the prototype site at www.segway.com/puma.
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April 7, 2009 12:08 PM
Too expensive to become popular, just like
the current single person Segway.
April 7, 2009 1:57 PM
Add a third wheel, get rid of the complex and expensive gyros for stability and lower the cost (increase safety as well). Why they continue to stick with the gyro design is beyond me, probably more to do with hubris than any real engineering advantage.
April 7, 2009 2:20 PM
This thing does not look very safe. Looks more like a casket on wheels.
April 7, 2009 2:28 PM
Cute ... Reminds me of an electric wheelchair
April 7, 2009 2:31 PM
Absolutely NOT Chasm! (Yes, I understand this is your opinion) But the whole point of Gyro's is to keep the vehicle stable... Adding a third wheel would do three things: (1) Make it almost twice as long, (2) Make it heavier thus causing the battery to not last as long, (3) cause major INstabilty in the vehicle. If you put a third wheel on that thing and tried to brake hard (without Gyro's) you'd fall right on your face. The idea of the Gyro and improved Gyro's is that they are going to be MUCH safer than relying on a third or 4th wheel. Gyro's are used world wide for a multitude of different uses. The more there are, the less expensive they become. The more Segway's there are, the less expensive they will be. So they're not going to waste time designing something that no one is going to want. Especially in THIS economy...
April 7, 2009 8:33 PM
They have already wasted time (and money) designing something no one wants:the original Segway.Obviously, they are working on something new that no one is going to want either.More money than sense apparently.
April 8, 2009 12:27 AM
Amother stroke of Genius from GM... gee I wonder why they're bankrupt? Don't listen the "green" idiots and build cars people want!!!
April 8, 2009 1:22 AM
Now, put a mower deck on it.
April 8, 2009 2:25 AM
there's a new concept in the automotive business
it's 2 seated, 2 wheeled, and too ambitious
General Motors fearing their time is over
is desperate to meet their innovation quota
partnered with Segway trying to make headway
came up with something just a little more deadly
works like the other one except that you sit
and ride around praying that you don't get hit
To listen to me rap my opinion, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64rpjlcf23Q
April 12, 2009 9:04 AM
Think they have done any tests on what happens when you have a car/Segway accident?