GM and Segway Team Up For New Vehicle

[DetroitDad]

I saw this today nonstop on CNBC. Here's an article, photos, and video: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/gm-conjures-up-a-people-moving-pod/?ref=automobiles



General Motors may be so short of cash that bankruptcy is among its dwindling options, but the company is still in the business of creating dreams.

Its latest dream, the P.U.M.A. mobility pod, to be unveiled Tuesday in New York, is pretty far out — and as such, requires no big immediate investments. Indeed, Larry Burns, G.M.’s vice president for research and development and strategic planning, said the P.U.M.A. prototype cost “only one half of one percent of G.M’s typical engineering budget” for a year.

[defendbrooklyn]

It seems to me that if tons of people were riding around in this silly vehicle it would be equally as crowded and more dangerous for foot traffic.

Is GM going to try and stomp out foot traffic like they did the railroad?

[redvetred]

This has to be a late April Fools Day joke. I've ridden a Segway which was a lot of fun but they have no business on the road and they are unsafe in pedestrian areas. Might have a place in the bike lane though.

[3WC]

Anyone wonder why G.M.'s broke?

[Lorax]

This is truly a sad day for GM.

This "vehicle" will last about as long as the news cycle promoting it.

I have a better idea, too bad they never asked me. How about a really well styled two seater city car to compete with the SMART car- to be sold mainly in foreign countries? Not perhaps a vehicle for US consumption, but made here for export (a good stiff tarrif on incoming vehicles from countries where this is to be sold would help as well).

If they can make a cute, retro-styled two seater, run on lithium ion battery technology, or even hydrogen/steam power, where you can go like hell for a week without recharging.

That technology exists, and is being withheld on purpose.

As an aside, my father when in college in 1949, had a neighbor who drove her 40 year old Stanley Steamer every day to work as a librarian at the DPL branch on Kercheval and Eastlawn.

She told him at the time she inherited it from her parents, and it moved at speeds similar to what cars achieve today. The only expenses involved in maintenance for this single woman was a battery powered starter, water, and kerosene to light the boiler. She drove the car in good weather months, and took the streetcar in cold weather months.

Sounds like a prescription for a simpler life to me, it would be nice if we were so practical today.

[scuola]

A simple life for me would be to give me cars I want at a price I can afford. Do that and people will buy them. People don't want to drive glorified wheelchairs with motors. People don't want government mandated whimp-mobiles. I want a big, powerful car. If that means we need to build a hydrogen infrastructure that will cost billions to implement just so we can drive a hydrogen car--then lets get started. Because I'm not buying an electric clown car that I can barely fit a suitcase into.

[Bigb23]

That thing doesn't even look practical for a bicycle messenger in NYC. It would be creamed by a taxi or Limo in a NY second.

[Angry Dad]

You guys got it wrong.

All GM is doing is shifting some battery development.

No they are not going to sell these in any volume.

Sad this is if Toyota was associated with this stretch, it's amazing how the lemmings would declare this the next cure for cancer.