GM, Segway team up on electric urban vehicle

Jake Widman
Tuesday, 07 April 2009 23:56

Your IT - Home IT

General Motors and Segway unveiled a new two-seater, two-wheeled covered electric vehicle, intended to get people around cities "more quickly, safely, quietly, and cleanly."

The new transporter, a prototype of which was demonstrated Tuesday, is called the P.U.M.A., for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility. Looking like a cross between the original iMac and a high-end pram, the P.U.M.A. has two electric wheel motors running off a lithium-ion battery. The vehicle can supposedly carry two passengers at speeds up to 35 mph (56 kph) for up to 35 miles before it needs recharging.

Segway/GM personal urban vehicle. (Courtesy Segway.)

Like a Segway, the P.U.M.A. balances on two wheels while in motion, but it also has sets of wheels in front and back to keep it from tipping over and on which it rests when parked. It supposedly also offers "autonomous driving and parking." A video of the prototype in action can be viewed on the Segway website .


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