Segway, GM Partner On Two-Wheeled Electric Car

Slartibartfast was one of many readers sending in news of GM's partnership with Segway to develop a two-seater urban electric vehicle. It's called the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility, or "PUMA." This is just a prototype, so don't get your credit card out yet. Its total cost of ownership could be about 1/4 that of a traditional car, GM says. The prototype runs for 35 miles, at a top speed of 35 mph, on lithium-ion batteries. It features the now-familiar Segway balancing technology, though fore-and-aft training wheels are visible on the prototype. Some commentators have likened it to a high-tech rickshaw, others to a golf cart. Engadget describes how the ride feels.

Comments

My Dad Had a 2 wheeled car

[stoolpigeon]

Built by a company called Yamaha.

Re:My Dad Had a 2 wheeled car

[Anonymous Coward]

"Built by a company called Yamaha."

Your dad drove a piano?

Boy this has politics written all over it...

[tjstork]

"Hey GM, if you want to get another gov't loan, you have to do this partnership with Segway..."

Will create the perfect urban vehicle that sells as much as the original Segway does.

Why not just have GM resell these... Maybe bring the Oldsmobile name back just for them...

Oldsmobile Golf Cart!

35 miles, at a top speed of 35 mph

[Culture20]

I'm bad at math, but isn't that just one hour of drive time?

Re:35 miles, at a top speed of 35 mph

[Anonymous Coward]

You forgot to allow for the relativistic effects.

Re:35 miles, at a top speed of 35 mph

[Thelasko]

I'm bad at math...

So is the management at GM.

PUMA?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think it looks more like a Warthog.

Re:PUMA?

[Chyeld]

Red vs Blue - Season 1 Episode 2 - Red Gets a Delivery

Sarge: Hurry up ladies, this ain't no ice cream social!

Simmons: Ice cream social?

Sarge: Stop the pillow-talk you two. Anyone want to guess, why I gathered you here, today?

Grif: Um, is it because the war's over and you're sending us home?

Sarge: That's exactly it, private. War's over. We won. Turns out you're the big hero, and we're gonna hold a parade in your honor. I get to drive the float, and Simmons here, is in charge of confetti!

Grif: I'm no stranger to sarcasm, sir.

Sarge: God dammit private, shut your mouth or else I'll have Simmons slit your throat while you're asleep!

Simmons: Oh, I'd do it too.

Sarge: I know you would Simmons... good man. Couple of things today, ladies: Command has seen fit to increase our ranks here at Blood Gulch Outpost Number 1.

Grif: Crap, we're getting a rookie.

Sarge: That's right dead man. Our new recruit will be here within the week. But today, we received the first part of our shipment from Command. Lopez... bring up the vehicle.

A jeep emerges from the hill behind Sarge

Simmons: Shotgun!

Grif: Shotgun! Fuck!

Sarge: May I introduce, our new light reconnaissance vehicle. It has four inch armor plating, maaag buffer suspension, a mounted machine gunner position, and total seating for three. Gentlemen, this is the M12-LRV! I like to call it the Warthog.

Simmons: Why 'Warthog' sir?

Sarge: Because M12-LRV is too hard to say in conversation, son.

Grif: No, but... why 'Warthog'? I mean, it doesn't really look like a pig...

Sarge: Say that again?

Grif: I think it looks more like a puma.

Sarge: What in sam hell is a puma?

Simmons: Uh... you mean like the shoe company?

Grif: No, like a puma. It's a big cat. Like a lion.

Sarge: You're making that up.

Grif: I'm telling you, it's a real animal!

Sarge: Simmons, I want you to poison Grif's next meal.

Simmons: Yes sir!

Sarge: Look, see these two tow hooks? They look like tusks. And what kind of animal has tusks?

Grif: A walrus.

Sarge: Didn't I just tell you to stop making up animals?

Church is looking at the red team through the sniper rifle, and Tucker is with him

Tucker: What is that thing?

Church: I don't know, but it looks like uh... looks like they got some kinda car down there. We'd better get back to base and report it.

Tucker: A car? How come they get a car?

Church: What are you complaining about man? We're about to get a tank in the very next drop.

Tucker: You can't pick up chicks in a tank.

Church: Oh, you know what, you could bitch about anything, couldn't you. We're gonna get a tank, and you're worried about chicks. What chicks are we gonna pick up man!? Firay, and secondly, how are we gonna pick up chicks in a car that looks like that?

Tucker: Well what kind of car is it?

Church: I don't know, I've never seen a car that looks like that before, it looks like a uh... like a big cat of some kind.

Tucker: ... ... what, like a puma?

Church: Yeah man, there ya go.

Back to the reds

Sarge: So unless anybody else has any more mythical creatures to suggest as a name for the new vehicle, we're gonna stick with 'the Warthog'. How about it Grif?

Grif: No sir, no more suggestions.

Sarge: Are you sure? How 'bout Bigfoot?

Grif: That's okay.

Sarge: Unicorn?

Grif: No really, I'm... I'm cool.

Sarge: Sasquatch?

Re:PUMA?

[clam666]

If it was called COUGAR, it would just start randomly bumping into all the brand new cars on the road.

YES, it's clever.

PUMA?

[stoolpigeon]

Why name it after some mythical creature when it clearly looks more like a warthog?

PUMA?

[Red Flayer]

PUMA? Portable Urban Mobility and Accessibility?

Is that the best they could come up with?

If a transport product is going to be called PUMA, it should at the very least allow me to stalk prey from tree branches, rocky outcroppings, or tall grass, silently leaping with claws outstretched, to hamstring them and then choke them with my jaws, so I can drag them back to my lair and devour their tender innards at ease.

I think this product should be called COUGAR, for Compensatory Object for Urban Guys Against Railtransit.

Re:Yeah, but what's the point?

[kkrajewski]

Oh, well, it's a good thing they got rid of that third wheel for this one, then. For safety.

Naming

[fiannaFailMan]

I think the GM name is a bit tainted these days, and as for Segway, that's synonymous with venture capital funded half-baked ideas that failed to learn the lessons of previous marketing failures.

How about something with a classical ring to it, like 'Sinclair.' And for the model name, well how about C for 'cool' and 5 for the number of people who will need to buy it? There. Sinclair C5. Perfect.

Segway's Motto should be:

[happy_place]

Segway: Stealing the last particle of human dignity from rent-a-cops worldwide.

GM and two wheels

[kpainter]

Hmmm. I guess since this thing has two less wheels than a normal GM vehicle, reliability is automatically doubled.

Re:Is it safe?

[Asic Eng]

He could accomplish the same thing by standing on bridges and throwing stones at cars, or shooting out cars' headlights. Things like that have happened before unfortunately, and it's not going to be possible to prevent someone from endangering people in that way. However it's quite possible to find that person and lock him up for murder or attempted murder.

Re:15 mph... Easily?

[Q-Hack!]

Yep, Slashdot... home of the fat lazy nerds.

Re:Yeah, but what's the point?

[Deanalator]

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/images/segsuck2.jpg

Re:Yeah, but what's the point?

[ShieldW0lf]

If I had one of those, I'd want to yell "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" at people while I was driving it...

Re:Yeah, but what's the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, actually, we in Norway usually prefer a proper 4x4 car... [Lamborghini with skiboks]

Re:No range limit?

[DigitalReverend]

No, I am saying that because I spend 12 to 18 hours a day at a desk doing system administration, writing scripts to make my job easier and countless hours on the phone helping an endless stream of helpless lusers, that my once buff 185lb body is now a rotund 285lb body, and I've become so out of shape, that I'd probably collapse from a heart attack if I tried to pedal past the end of my driveway.