GM, Segway Partner on Two-Person Transport

Don’t worry, we checked our calendar and April 1 was last week. This is all too real. General Motors has teamed with Segway for a new personal transportation vehicle called the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility or PUMA.

Unlike the current Segway built for one, the PUMA carries two people, has a canopy cover and, most importantly, can reach speeds of 35 mph, making it a possible car replacement for urbanites. Its battery has a range of 35 miles. Manhattan, for example, is only 13 miles long.

GM says the cost would be about one-third of a typical car purchase. We’re not sure if they mean the average price of cars sold, which is just over $20,000, or what a typical economy car costs, around $15,000.

While there are many practical issues to be had with the PUMA, including what do you do in cold weather, where do you park it, where do you charge it, etc., there is a need for vehicles like this globally. While it’s unlikely there is a large market for the PUMA in the U.S., many Asian countries are struggling with a boom in automotive traffic.

The PUMA’s technology allows for the vehicles to “talk” to each other, which would theoretically ease congestion and prevent crashes.

During last summer’s gas-price spike, gas-powered scooters from Honda and Vespa were nearly impossible to find. Hipsters in our hometown of Chicago often chose the affordable modes of transportation over economy cars to save on parking and gas costs. We wonder if the PUMA could attract buyers in that market.

More photos are below. We’d love to hear your thoughts on whether this is a feasible mode of transportation in the U.S. or elsewhere.

Comments

A segway with seats and a shell. Basically a glorified Golf Cart. But with the Segway brand name attached it might sell. Many people who don't own a Segway, know about the Segway. Even if it is only to make fun of the people who ride it.

Wouldn't this be cheaper and more practical on 4 wheels without being segway-ified? Oh and potentially gas powered?

That's right, this is a golf cart, what's so unique about that?

Still half the size of a golf cart.

Since this has two wheels, would it be licensed as a motorcycle? Does the law require a motorcycle's wheels to be in line rather than side by side?

M3,

This actually has 6 wheels, but powered by 2, like most cars. I, for one, think this looks like a moving garbage can; maybe it’s the size and color that gave the impression? Also, what’s the difference between this and a wheelchair for 2? BTW, no pun intended on persons with disabilities either.

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Joannah

http://2gbmemory.net

Hi David,

My name is Michelle Doellman and I am assistant publisher of a new newspaper called The Printed Blog. TPB is the first newspaper comprised entirely of blogs and other online, user-generated content. We are using the above article in our upcoming issue and would like to use the images as well. Please let me know who the owner of the images is so I can contact them about republishing permission. Thanks so much and we look forward to working with you!

Sincerely,

Michelle A. Doellman
Assistant Publisher
The Printed Blog

The 35 mile range isnt huge, and does sort of limit what you can do. You can't make runs to the grocery store, hardware store, drive through, and then a quick stop at the pet store because of range, so you might have to make only a few stops and then charge it up again. Another issue is storage. If you get more then a few bags of groceries, then you are sol. But for only a few thousand, and it only costs 35 cents to charge up, it would make an exceptionally practical vehicle for typical day to day driving, back and fourth to work, minor errands, stuff like that. I see a lot of golf cart comments, but golf carts, generally, are not road legal. If they made road legal golf carts, I'm sure a lot more people would be driving them.