GM and Segway Announce Project P.U.M.A!

In one of the most incredible transportation announcements to date, General Motors and Segway have just released pics of a new battery powered two-wheeled vehicle! The vehicle, known as Project P.U.M.A, is designed to allow for easy movement through congested urban streets. A belayed April Fool’s joke? or a preview of General Motor’s future?

Project P.U.M.A (which stands for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), is effectively an enclosed scooter capable of achieving speeds of around 35 miles per hour, for a maximum distance of roughly 35 miles per charge. The design is being unveiled as we type.

P.U.M.A uses technology developed for the Segway personal vehicle, originally designed by Dean Kamen. This allows the vehicle to operate using two wheels only, though the vehicles has been fitted with training wheels which are quite helpful when stopping. GM hopes to convince a number of cities of colleges to set up P.U.M.A travel lanes. The vehicles are intended to drive automatically — almost by themselves — allowing human passengers to relax and sit back while their P.U.M.A navigates traffic. They are equipped with a wireless system to allow for easy navigation, and avoid traffic congestion.

Project P.U.M.A (which stands for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), PUMA, Segway PUMA, Segway P.U.M.A, Project PUMA, Segway GM, Battery powered vehicle

While we must admit to being excited by this stunning new technology, particularly by a car manufacturer such as GM, we do have to wonder… why not just ride a bike? If this new design is successful, you can expect to see it on sale by around 2012.

+ GM And Segway Join Forces To Reinvent Urban Transportation

+ GM, Segway team up on 200-mpg 2-seater

7 Responses to “GM and Segway Announce Project P.U.M.A!”

jpdesign31 Says:

April 7th, 2009 at 3:11 pm

Wasn’t the Segway supposed to \”reinvent urban transportation”? This is why GM deserves to go out of business. Their idea of innovation is to take a commercially unsuccessful technology and add seats to it. Are you kidding me? And they\’ll probably add cupholders too. Why not just ride a bike, even a tandem bike for two, instead of wasting the materials and resources needed to produce the vehicle and batteries? I hope this was an April Fool’s joke.

Leo Says:

April 7th, 2009 at 10:56 pm

Hey it’s not that bad.

I personally would prefer to bike or walk, but it seems like this could be a great tool to expand transportation agencies “outreach” programs.

JournalRhythm Says:

April 8th, 2009 at 2:04 am

there’s a new concept in the automotive business
it’s 2 seated, 2 wheeled, and too ambitious
General Motors fearing their time is over
is desperate to meet their innovation quota

partnered with Segway trying to make headway
came up with something just a little more deadly
works like the other one except that you sit
and ride around praying that you don’t get hit

To listen to me rap my opinion, visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64rpjlcf23Q

jeanX Says:

April 8th, 2009 at 12:58 pm

I drive a power chair and consider any vehicle such as this, to be too dangerous to use.
Anything that goes 35 mph, without a lot of protection, in unthinkable.

mindfrieze Says:

April 9th, 2009 at 9:52 am

In three of the four pictures above, the PUMA is shown in dedicated bicycle or pedestrian areas. As a motorized vehicle capable of speeds reaching 35mph, it should never, ever be allowed is such areas. It\\\’s a car, albeit a “green” one with a small physical & ecological footprint, and it bothers me that GM & Segway are presumably positioning it as replacement for walking and biking rather than as replacement for traditional cars.

Trajkociklista Says:

April 9th, 2009 at 2:37 pm

It’s interesting that they always just HAVE TO make people sit upright in something.
If the main idea is to make it GREEN why don’t they use something more efficient,like a recumbent concept !?
A Velomobile if they really want some weather protection and efficiency.
It’s the most efficient vehicle on earth, so why not use one.
Instead that make a contraption like this, with a high center of gravity,and enormous wind drag.

It’s right up there with making an hybrid SUV monster, that is supposed to be “green” .. yeah right.
If they really wand to make something green,they first make it efficient, which means good aerodynamics as a first thing.

dmitri Says:

April 9th, 2009 at 2:55 pm

This is either a joke or they are spitting in the face of the entire nation… Is this what GM spent 14 billion dollars taken from our pocket for? This would be a great solution for disabled people if it is considered as new model of the wheelchair… or for the spoiled kids of wealthy parents (GM’s executives, vice-presidents, top-management, etc. who along with oil companies brought our country to the present shameful situation ). It’s a new toy, not a serious innovation or concept! These people from GM are being especially shameless and irresponsible because they made this announcement right after Tesla Motor Company’s presentation of Tesla S car which is a real technological and conceptual breakthrough. If we really want CHANGES we (our government ) should stop supporting these betrayers and let them die. Such companies like Tesla Motor are the best alternative solution in term of investments and jobs.

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