General Motors and Segway Unleash P.U.M.A.

We're all for environmentally sustainable motor vehicles, but can you imagine picking up your date in one of these? Yet this could be our dorky urban future, which even the most fanny pack-bedecked European would have no choice but to point at and laugh. But the joke's on them, because this compact ride's got a totally bad ass name: P.U.M.A., which stands for Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility. The prototype, developed by G.M. and Segway, was tested yesterday on the streets of New York, and, miraculously, no cabs or Hummers plowed into the thing, though the drivers presumably sustained some damage to their dignity.

James Norrod, the president of Segway, says P.U.M.A, powered by lithium-ion batteries, can be charged in three hours for a cost of 35 cents, and has a 35-mile range before it runs out of juice. Six of these "pods" can fit in a standard parking space, so when you roll with your P.U.M.A. posse, you'll also save a fortune by splitting the parking meter cost. And in keeping with the numerological theme, the top speed is 35 m.p.h. Because G.M. is still deciding whether to commercialize it, the cost is T.B.D., but a regular Segway costs about $5,000.

In showing off his baby to the Times yesterday, G.M. R&D guy Larry Burns said the pods are being designed to utilize G.M.’s OnStar technology, which has six million North American subscribers. The technology lets vehicles communicate with one another over a quarter-mile range to prevent collisions, eventually allowing what G.M. calls "autonomous driving and parking." That way, the pods would literally drive themselves, letting the hands-free urban driver ignore boring traffic while sending important text messages. Acknowledging that this is already the way most morons "drive," Burns told the Times, "My daughter sleeps with her iPhone in her hand. At this point, is using a cellphone the distraction, or has driving become the distraction?"

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By John Del Signore in News on April 7, 2009 10:53 AM

Comments [rss]

zincink

So instead of handing out 10 parking tickets they can hand out 35!

It is pretty neat, but I can't fit all my crap in there...

Snoopy

The P.U.M.A. isn't your father's Oldsmobile.

Talk about stupid marketing. The old timer Oldsmobile buyers were a steady customer. But the great minds at GM thought it was too fuddy duddy. Unlike the Buick. And they were ready to abandon the Pontiac line, which was also of the same ilk as the Oldsmobile and the Buick, but had some balls to it. I guess the great minds at GM worked together on that one.

Snoopy

I wouldn't depend on Generous Mother to do anything but bury their sorry heads and asses in the sand.

They continuously lose the big picture for the nickel and dime approach generated by the bean counters.

And screw all the legislation crap. It should fit into the two wheel motor bike category, similar to a moped.

sluggo

My brother is an engineering reporter in Detroit. I emailed him and asked whether he thinks this will ever make it to market. He said there is a veritable boatload of legal and safety reasons why it won't, and besides GM doesn't have an extra penny to devote to R&D. I do hope he's wrong.

Snoopy

No money for R&D huh? Perhaps they will be producing replicas of the Russian version of the early 1960's Skoda sedans in the future.

Made in China and assembled in Ecuador. And still proclaim, "What's good for General Motors is good for the country."

NannyState

Park Slope just got a whole lot uglier.

Snoopy

The last time GM got adventurous they created the "Aztec." Nuff said?

jaycjay

The Segway site has more photos and video which give a better idea of things like the seating configuration and maneuverability:

http://www.segway.com/puma/

And by the way, they only mention GM a couple of times in passing on the site, lending credence to the idea above that their involvement in the project is pretty minor. No mention of what GM contributed, just "the first step of what’s possible in a technology collaboration between Segway and General Motors," and "We're making this announcement today in collaboration with General Motors Corp. in New York City in advance of the New York Auto Show."

Snoopy

Thanks for the link. The fully enclosed version is sex on two wheels.

Combine this with a solar recharger on the roof and they are really on to something.

sluggo

I want one! Would like covers to keep rain out. It's perfect for running errands around Brooklyn. I seriously love it!

SeasTooFarToReach

So, in the future everyone will be really skinny? That's the only way that thing could fit 2 people!

Not a bad/far fetched idea, to be honest. Even if we don't like it how it looks. Though, I'd be terrified to take a highway in that thing next to giant SUVs and trucks.

fuboy

I like the idea, but the execution is lacking. If it had doors, maybe I'd buy in.

I'm also hoping they change the whole 'metal bar for a door at neck-height' idea. That thing looks like it'll snap some necks in the right situation, and this thing being top-heavy, I think that'll be often.

Spirit of 76

I'm sure the production version would have seat belts to hold you firmly in the seat. You won't get anywhere near the side bar.

Politburo

How do you know it's top heavy? It would appear that with the wheels set outside the body and the batteries/motor mounted between the wheels, the CoG would be quite low.

Snoopy

Good point fuboy. For some reason I really don't think the real automobile designer guys from Art Center worked this over. It appears to be a shot in the dark that was done in about three weeks to make GM look like they are a "vision forward" company. The pros would have made it look "way cool" in an iphone way.

firewire

segways are hilarious to me and this is why:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7gMTKEyYXs

Snoopy

That is called four assholes using Segways. If you watch open wheel racing the same thing happens. All it needs is to have the fender extend over the wheels a bit further so the "over ride" doesn't occur.

Next objection?

Snoopy

Any description of the perp? Italian, Jewish, Russian, Arabic, Indian, Pakistanian, Brooklynese, Foreigner?

Kreo

Two passenger? Doubt it, the fourth pic shows that averagely built guy taking up both seats, with his shoulder sticking out of the window. And it provides no more rain cover than a small umbrella - might be insufficient for rainy driving with all the splashing the normal cars around produce.

Nice concept though, they should make these available to buy and legal. Although I do not see how these could be legal for anything but bike lanes.

I imagine, in 2 years the city is swarming with these, and a pack is rolling through Madison Ave, and some inpatient cabbie bumps into the last one of these pods in the pack at 5mph and a chain reaction unfolds tilting over the whole pack:)

keera

Why would anyone even remotely think this is dorky? Dangerous in certain circumstances, yes (and there are some pretty good hills in NYC which would challenge this thing -- what would you do if you had to go from point A to point B and in the middle somewhere is a hill you can't negotiate? Get out and pull it along like a cart?), but dorky? No. Not dorky, nor undignified.