UPDATE: Check out our test drive…
General Motors and Segway have teamed up on Project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), a two-wheeled city vehicle capable of reaching speeds up to 35 miles per hour, and going 35 miles on a single charge at a cost of 35 cents per charge.
Aside from the promise of nimble, inexpensive transportation, the press release says, “The vehicle also enables design creativity, fashion, fun and social networking.” Ah yes, social networking: the ultimate feature to distract the driver of a rotor-less personal street helicopter with two wheels and no doors.
Although the details of the vehicle’s connectedness haven’t been fully revealed, it’s been indicated that the PUMA will leverage GM’s OnStar system to relay the locations of your friends and family who happen to be tooling around town in their own PUMAs at the same time as you.
As for the vehicle itself:
“It combines several technologies demonstrated by GM and Segway, including electric drive and batteries; dynamic stabilization (two-wheel balancing); all-electronic acceleration, steering and braking; vehicle-to-vehicle communications; and autonomous driving and parking. Those technologies integrate in Project P.U.M.A. to increase mobility freedom, while also enabling energy efficiency, zero emissions, enhanced safety, seamless connectivity and reduced congestion in cities.”
This is actually not a terrible idea for people living in cramped cities provided that the price is right and it can be driven in the winter. A rendered image shows an all-enclosed version (see below) but there’s no telling if those wheels will be able to handle snow, ice, and slush. Pricing hasn’t been revealed, either, although it’s promised to be “one-fourth to one-third the cost of what you pay to own and operate today’s automobile.”
The press release also indicates that the PUMA is “built to carry two or more pasengers.” Yes, two or more, so perhaps there will either be bigger versions or GM and Segway are giving you the green light to bring your baby along for the ride.
No word on an availability date yet, but more details will emerge when the PUMA is shown at the New York Auto Show this week.
Full press release:
GM and Segway Join Forces to Reinvent Urban Transportation
NEW YORK – General Motors Corp. and Segway today demonstrated a new type of vehicle that could change the way we move around in cities.
Dubbed Project P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), GM and Segway are developing an electrically powered, two-seat prototype vehicle that has only two wheels. It could allow people to travel around cities more quickly, safely, quietly and cleanly – and at a lower total cost. The vehicle also enables design creativity, fashion, fun and social networking.
GM and Segway announced their collaboration, while demonstrating the Project P.U.M.A. prototype in New York City this morning.
“Project P.U.M.A. represents a unique solution to moving about and interacting in cities, where more than half of the world’s people live,” said Larry Burns, GM vice president of research and development, and strategic planning. “Imagine small, nimble electric vehicles that know where other moving objects are and avoid running into them. Now, connect those vehicles in an Internet-like web and you can greatly enhance the ability of people to move through cities, find places to park and connect to their social and business networks.”
Trends indicate that urbanization is growing, and with that comes increased congestion and more competition for parking. Cities around the world are actively looking for solutions to alleviate congestion and pollution. Project P.U.M.A. addresses those concerns. It combines several technologies demonstrated by GM and Segway, including electric drive and batteries; dynamic stabilization (two-wheel balancing); all-electronic acceleration, steering and braking; vehicle-to-vehicle communications; and autonomous driving and parking. Those technologies integrate in Project P.U.M.A. to increase mobility freedom, while also enabling energy efficiency, zero emissions, enhanced safety, seamless connectivity and reduced congestion in cities.
“We are excited to be working together to demonstrate a dramatically different approach to urban mobility,” said Jim Norrod, CEO of Segway Inc. “There’s an emotional connection you get when using Segway products. The Project P.U.M.A. prototype vehicle embodies this through the combination of advanced technologies that Segway and GM bring to the table to complete the connection between the rider, environment, and others.”
Project P.U.M.A. vehicles will also allow designers to create new fashion trends for cars, and to focus on the passion and emotion that people express through their vehicles while creating solutions that anticipate the future needs of urban customers.
The Project P.U.M.A. prototype vehicle integrates a lithium-ion battery, digital smart energy management, two-wheel balancing, dual electric wheel motors, and a dockable user interface that allows off-board connectivity. The result is an advanced and functional concept that demonstrates the capabilities of technology that exists today.
Built to carry two or more passengers, it can travel at speeds up to 35 miles per hour (56 kph), with a range up to 35 miles (56 km) between recharges.
Since the introduction of the Segway Personal Transporter (PT), Segway has established itself as the leader in the small electric vehicle space. Its approach to congestion and environmental challenges is balanced with a strong understanding of the functional needs of its customers, enabling them to do more with less. Segway has delivered more than 60,000 lithium-ion batteries to the market.
GM has been a leader in “connected vehicle” technologies since it introduced OnStar in 1996. Today, this on-board communications package connects six million subscribers in North America to OnStar safety and security services. GM has also pioneered vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications systems and transponder technology. These and additional connected vehicle technologies could ultimately enable vehicles that don’t crash and drive themselves.
“Imagine moving about cities in a vehicle fashioned to your taste, that’s fun to drive and ride in, that safely takes you where you want to go, and “connects” you to friends and family, while using clean, renewable energy, producing zero vehicle tailpipe emissions, and without the stress of traffic jams,” said Burns. “And imagine doing this for one-fourth to one-third the cost of what you pay to own and operate today’s automobile. This is what Project P.U.M.A. is capable of delivering.”
[via AutoBlog]
This is the future. No doubt. GM’s share price is a 70 years low. Buy it for penny on the dollar and let segway make you rich ;)
Will be epic fail if it is released.
Exactly! This is all PR.
For a vehicle you sit in, why make it a two wheeler? A 3 or 4 wheel vehicle is much more stable, and cheaper to produce!
Motorcycle needs landing mechanism. When bike speed is below 10mph including 0, side wheels should be lowered – so that one need not use foot to hold it from falling.
Price is still to high, how can India build a affordable car ($2,00) and we can’t. The motor industy will never get it….greedy b……s
Michael, I do believe that is a stupid question! When you and others are willing to work for the same wages they will in India, give me a call and we will build vehicles that cost $2,000.
Brain, don’t just see the wages in India. Also check the cost of living. For the wage that one gets in India, the cost of living is comparatively high.
Its the innovative Supply Chain thats driving the under $2,000 car. Cheers !
Nishant – I was not aware that wages in India were just as high as they are in the USA! Then I guess you need to start that Auto company in the USA that can build GOOD cars and sell them at $2,000 and at the same time pay the wages that, at least, the Avg income earner here in the USA earns.
If you can do that, I do believe you would be a VERY wealthy man indeed!
Going to malls using that car makes human more lazy.
are there even any windows in this thing except the front one?
They’re biggest problem I think is going to be making people feel secure in the vehicle. The driver looks completely at the mercy of other cars on the road, and while this is a problem with motorbikes too, a certain type of person drives a motorbike but that certain type of person wouldn’t necessarily drive one of these.
It’s like driving a fragile egg down the road! Except you’re the yolk inside the egg!!
They should call it the Humpty-Dumpty Express…
I agree. These look like one would be toast in an accident.
The same is true for motorcycles but at least motorcycles are very maneuverable. So you have a chance to avoid a collision when some nimrod pulls out in front of you. I don’t see how these could possibly have the same capability.
Motorcycles are not maneuverable at all, they corner very badly.
Look at that PUMA, she can do a 360 degree in no time.
Not great, but they can accelerate like a bat outa hell and can turn quickly, just not sharply.
This thing has a top speed of 30 MPH, looks to risky for the road and too dangerous for the sidewalk.
Wow sweet.
But I think this one will have a hard time on the roads. Good for malls or campuses.
… I would hope there would be a thought process as to a specific lane for these things. I can see them getting crushed going head-to-head with a vehicle, clogging a bike lane, or even worse tooling down a sidewalk or along campus/park walkways only to hoard the entire width of the walk.
This would be an ideal on-demand transport vehicle, like the ‘old-fashioned’ bikes you can rent by the hour in Europe’s cities.
Where in Paris they all get stolen, think of the scrap value of the batteries in these
O well GM should have just said this was there plan all along! My faith is instantly restored! All joking aside I would totally dig one of these in Boston. Except where do you keep it and how much does it weight?
Or you could just buy a bike…
from gas guzzling land barges to electric tuk-tuks. talk about GM lurching from one extreme to another.
Tell me about it, at least the big trucks were something a lot of people out there wanted to drive, this thing is nothing more than a risky toy for the roads.
The gas powered Civic almost matches the MPG of it’s hybrid counterpart, the Focus gets good milage and emits virtually no emissions.
Seems like they should focus on improvements in these areas until they can come up with a game changer that is economically more feasable most of the characteristics of vehicles on the road today, decent room, decent power, can travel long distances, reliable, has some storage capacity & is sturdy enough to keep traffic fatalities as rare as is possible.
Studies have shown that the shift to smaller cars after the 70s resulted in 3 to 4 thousand more fatalities every year.
These will be great for car rental companies (think Zipcar) that can charge an hourly rate to tourists and locals. I couldn’t imagine hundreds of these driving around New York City, Chicago or Boston. Great concept…I just don’t think it’s the future. Another failed attempt at making Segway relevant.
At least they are trying and have you driven one yet. If not you may want to wait to judge someone else after you get the facts and have some experience with the vehicle. Then you could make a valid judgement call. Until then, try to be nicer.
This is only practical for people in extremely urban areas. I, for one, wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those things. Look how cheesy that couple looks. The damn thing looks like a carnival ride.
Two-wheeled urban transport vehicle? I thought they were called “motor scooters”.
Should be called Two-wheeled Urban Roadway Device, or TURD. I can hear it now – “Look at my awesome TURD!”
Hmm… Just big enough that you can’t use it on the sidewalk. Just small enough that it’s not easily integrated with traffic. Just big enough to hog the entire bicycle lane….
I wonder how much it is to fix a bent axle after you take it off a curb or hit a pothole?
Sounds perfect for Disney and other resorts. Sounds perfect for any campus transportation. An offroad version would be great to use to go to grandma’s house. No so sure I believe that it’s going to mix well with city life…
My thoughts exactly, Vaughn. I cannot see how this is going to be a good thing for pedestrians or how it will be safe on the streets.
However, the design is pretty impressive.
Wondering how much they’ll go for.
Are you serious! think about it! even if the cost is the cheapest around, dollars per charge, ONLY 35 mph can i say SLow? just htink about all the insurance on this thing!
This vehicle? Made with GM’s help? Is it April the 1st again?
Where do you carry your “stuff”?
This does not compute. May as well stick with a moped or bicycle.
Is it April Fool’s? Or is GM so incompetent that, now that they’re 30 days away from bankruptcy, they all the sudden care about innovation? This sounds like a press release and nothing more.
It’s worth noting that Segway’s products, while super cool looking, have not had the revolutionary effect we all hoped for, and this cute little machine won’t be street legal, and can’t be driven on the sidewalk, leading to yet another one of those Useless Toys for Rich Tech Exes.
The GM Segway. Great idea. The GM-Chevy Volt. Also, great idea. But they both are years away and will have a very limited market. Come on GM get to work on building your version of the Honda Accord. Affordable quality that thousands and thousands will buy. The other stuff are just distractions.
that’s the problem. GM does make an Accord competitor called the Chevy Malibu. It’s highly rated and the quality is rated as superb.
But it’s a Chevy and nobody on either coast will buy one.
I kept waiting for the April Fools! This is a joke, right? Please tell me this is a joke.
Why not just add a third wheel, smaller, up front and forget all the expensive stabalization whiz-bang that adds a zillion dollars to the cost. Make a trimmed down, safe, souped up version of an electric golf cart for urban transpo, and sell it for less than half the cost of this thing.
They did. The new Malibu is a great mid size car that gets good MPG and has very good build quality. But no one will buy one, what with bankruptcy looming and GM’s poor reputation in terms of long-term reliability.
Whoa!
I honestly didn’t think there was any innovation going on at GM. While there still might not be, at least they’re hanging out with companies that ARE innovating.
This is very cool. And like George, my first reaction was “April Fools?” but now I’m more just “Whoa!”
Segway has innovated how? By continuing to produce the same product that no one wants?
The bright minds that come up with these things must live in warm climates like Southern California. For at least six months per year you will not be able to use this in any major city of the north or east such as Chicago and New York. That’s usually the problem with all the eco-friendly creations; they’re not cold climate user friendly. It’s April and it’s snowing here in the Midwest. Hello, McFly, hello!!!
Nice one!!!!!!! :) I know in SD these cars wont last very long and plus what a pain in the ass! I guess these poeple dont have any thing better to do but mess with poeple’s minds. yea? What they need is a big kick in the ass and told to WAKE THE FUCK UP. this will only work in like 14% of the U.S
why wouldn’t people use one in NYC. Most of the time people are walking around in rainy or freezing weather. This could zip you from midtown to downtown in 5 minutes…er, oh yeah, a Subway does that too. but they smell.
this is probably a little more expensive than the subway to! Ha lazy lazy people! walking does me fine!
My bicycle let’s me exercise, engage in social exchanges, uses no electricity, and leaves zero carbon footprint (when used, not when made).
Agree!
Agree X 2!
You don’t breathe any CO2 ??
:)
Why cant everyone see through Your eyes? Bikes also cost less to repair. I just think the society is getting lazy!!!! AGREE? Yea….and plus bikes dont take up that much room and last time I checked they dont need gas!!!! must I go on?
But… but… TECHNOLOGY!!
YEah technology is great. But the way the economy is now who says this will good for us or a nother sceme for our money? yea i like my phone and other stuff but look how tiny this thing is!
Can Segway build anything that does not make users look like tools? I think that you have to be wearing a blue oxford shirt and tight jeans pulled up to your bellybutton to drive one of those.
This is like the BMW C1 bike, just a bit more idiotic. I’ve read a rumor somewhere that BMW is doing a three-wheeled version of this. That sounds more reasonable for me.
They’re bringing croquet to a city street near you.
This sounds like a ripoff of the UNO Bike. I’m not sure which came first, but UNO has been in the news for the past couple of years now. Personally, I think the UNO looks a lot better.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=uno+bike&btnG=Search&meta=
Can I order one in wood grain finish so that it can double as a coffin?
From Amsterdan
This looks one of those vehicles the elderly use in Europe. Yeeees! this will work (as soon as you have ‘bike’ lanes’ created) Otherwise you WILL get caught dead in 1 of these.
And GM could save some cash by firing the idiot who added the words ‘connect to their social and business networks’ to the press release.
If this is the best GM can do; no wonder they are failing!
Toyota already has a wheeled personal electric vehicle and it although it is as stupid and unsafe a concept it looks cooler and is already in the advanced prototype stages and is small enough that at the very least it could be used as a viable alternative to the wheelchair.
Great for Gated retirement communities. Those that can afford this toy are primarily East and West Coast residents. By the way those are also congested areas filled with large vehicles occupied by people who are impatient, cell talking, cafe mocha drinking, over achievers who are live by the motto “I AM ENTITLED.”
Yep – a total waste —- unbelievable. Let’s hope the folks in Washington don’t get a whiff of this big time gaff! Actually – let’s hope they do!
35 miles on a charge, and 35 miles per hour?
Junk.
yup yup yup you hit it on the nose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote :
dynamic stabilization (two-wheel balancing)
Aha, this type of self-balancing is also known as Inverted Pendulum in Physics & Feed-back control engineering domain.
Here is a youtube demo of an inverted pendulum self-balancing device. Common algorithms that are used in the embedded control system of such self-balancing devices are fuzzy-logic (controllers) and or kalman filters. There are others but these 2 are very common. Self-balancing have also been developed to cranes that involve in construction of high-rise building, since they reduce the swinging amplitude of the load, which would likely to cause damage or cause instability to the crane’s operation. When the load moves (either upward or sideways), the crane chases the center of mass of the load (ie, self-balancing) so to avoid extreme swings.
Here is another inverted pendulum 2 wheel robot that uses kalman filter algorithm for its self-balancing.
Inverted Pendulum Balancing Robot Montage
All I can say is that this isn’t too far off. http://www.mandycandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/walle3.jpg
Yeah and do you see how big those people are and how lazy? No offense to bigger people its just that WHY? these things are no more than another excuse NOT to excersise!!!!! AM i right? there small and can go everywhere. why walk? huh my legs will carry me any where i want to go!
Dosnt look to me that it would even work for urban areas. Bottom line where will you park it and how will you make sure it does not get stolen?
why is it that everything GM touches gets UGLY?
Agree with the poster who proposed a solution at a fraction of the cost without the dynamic stabilization (it’s called a front tire).
Fail 1: Dynamic stabilization (who cares)
Fail 2: Covered by everyone noting how unsafe, impractical, and of little use such a vehicle really is (regardless of stabilization)
wonderful! that’s so cool!
This vehicle is for very dense urban areas, I don’t see this in suburban America. I live in Mexico City where is almost impossible to park your car in certain parts of the city, because there isn’t any space left. The speed limit of 35mph is more than enough when you average speed in a car is far less than that (say15 to 20).
In the other hand this wouldn’t work in the suburbs, where there is more than enough space to park and move and because of that there are greater distances between destinations. The speed limit is a heavy limitation.
I hope this gets the green light and we can get this machine in the midterm
“0 puzzy magnet” almost a disabled senior person scooter.
somebody put that nerd out of its misery, give him a bike or something :)
nice weelchair bro!
ohh, Does anyone know if they will have a convertible version of those things?
This is very cool!
FAIL
Have fun waking up the homeless who sleep in it overnight.
Good luck not looking like An Absolute Moron even *near* one of these.
So GM’s goal is to *never* make something people want to *buy*?
I appreciate what they’re getting at here, but that this looks awful.
They didn’t really do anything to it. Its a segway with a seat on it. I wonder how many months of planning went into this?
The aesthetics of these electric cars are non-existent. Make a nice looking car that’s reliable and fuel efficient and watch the market explode.
Why is it that people always hate anything that doesn’t look like a conventional automobile. Please explain to me, other than the fact that they have been around for 100 years, what makes automobiles any cooler than this thing. If a person from 1815 saw you in your honda, he would probably think you were a giant douche too. Double down on that for a hummer. You guys remind me of the rednecks I used to see who would give the thumbs up at any Harley, and would then proceed to throw garbage at a person on a Vespa. “Cool” is a teenage concept that is perpetuated into adulthood by marketing gurus who want to sell things that nobody needs. Grow up.
The reason for no front tire is obvious: better low speed manuevering and turning.
please GM, stop pretending you working on something revolutionary that will NEVER sell, while you still bailing for your SUVs
1) get a the body of a smart car
2) put an electric engine (tesla) no crappy bio fuel cell hybrid crap
3) subsidize it and sell it for under 8K
and stop FOOLING AROUND!!
i totally agree!!!!!! they keep coming up with safe cars and now they come up with this tinky car and looks as if, if you got into a crash YOUR TOAST! Big Dummies!!!!!!!!!
Now when it comes to a typical vehicle for suburban commutes, I would be all for a Tesla anything. Those things are badass. The point is, this thing is meant to be an Ipod for GM/Segway. When Ipods first came out, who bought them? HIpsters, especially the subway commuter crowd, basically living in environments where this thing would be useful. This fits well into the “I would love to ride my bike to work, but I get my clothes all sweaty” niche. I fall in that category, since I have no shower facilities at my office. This thing is safer than a scooter.
My big question is how much will it cost, and how long for it to charge?
the technology you require already exists:
http://www.cypruscarhire.com/images/rascal_disabled_scooter.jpg
This looks like the vehicle from southpark that Mr. Garrison invented.
I live 4 miles from work & my Segway does just fine. But if I had 35 plus 35, That would be GREAT!
Other than work & grocery trips, I wouldn’t need a Segway,. But I haven’t used it when I go RV’ing. That would be FUN! Hum?
Mabe the majority is right!
Who needs a :
PUMA
SEGWAY
Motorcycle
HD TV
Surroend sound
Iphone or any phone
must I add more???
Come on now!
If it’s not what you like, then it is the Most Stupidist Thing in the World.
I bet most persons that think that this is a dumb idea, actually still have their “Pet Rock”.
HA well for one thing I NEED my phone. My whole lif3e is pretty much on that thing but i get what your saying. My oponion is this. WHY WHY WHY think about this! If you got into one of these things where would you put your stuff? THese would only work for small travel! why spend the money when you can get MUCH bigger cars and more safety? answer that! the price is great and all but with tons of miles it could get expensive.
Use this thing you have called an ‘imagination.’ Now, use this ‘imagination’ to take you out of your suburban enclave with large, asphalt parking lots and abundant parking garages.
Now, imagine taking one of the MUCH bigger cars into an actual city (one of those places where lots of people live in high density) and parking it. It gets ugly very quickly.
When I was in Boston in February, the rate for the garages in the Financial District was over 50 bucks a day. 1 hour was over 20 dollars.
When you park your MUCH bigger car and get raped financially, you will be saying to yourself “WHY WHY”? Driving one of these things in the suburbs would be as stupid as driving a Hummer in midtown Manhattan. If you are asking “why not a car”, then this thing is not marketed to your lifestyle. End of story.
By the way, nobody NEEDS a cell phone. They have become so indispensable in making our lives easier that life seems unfathomable without one. Remember when people with cell phones were made fun of behind their backs? “Look at Mr. I’m So Important over there.”
you are missing his point. In North America, the distances are great and hence the desire for a car tha can travel a longer distance. Not to mention, if you want to get away for the weekend to anywhere other than an other city you need a car. I guarantee I live more downtown than you do and I still feel that this thing is a useless waste of money. Just the same as I feel a Hummer or a Smart car is a waste. We can easily get good millage out of a useful sized car. There is a balance that exists that Europe has found that continues to evade us here on this side of the pond.
Should have been titled “GM and Segway announce two-wheeled urban transport vehicle that nobody will buy” in compliance with recent TC policies.
All comments above, typical American thinking, “we don`t give a c**p about the environment or the rest of the world”, it`s a 1st step in urban traveling at least, it should be applauded and welcomed. Since the most commented EV1 (1996 GM electric car) http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/ they silenced and did not come with a solution to world wide problems as pollution and global warming, now they do.
I know I`d change my car or public transportation to this vehicle for urban runs. No one said you should take it for a longer run; pioneering steps should show that in a few years (or this life) versions of longer-run non-polluting vehicles will be released. It`s an open market with large possibilities, we`ll be hearing soon of new releases.
I rest my case.