PUMA: Futuristic City Transport

Saturday, Apr. 18 2009 | Author: Dora

gm-segway-puma Car enthusiasts will certainly scoff at this idea, but hear me out. We already have how some people rely heavily on alternative means of transportation. Take wonder geek The Woz, for example. He has become associated with the Segway.

Now, what if someone comes up with something like the Segway but still closely resembling the traditional car? That is what the makers of Segway and General Motors were thinking of when they came up with the concept of the PUMA, which is short for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility. By the way, I love the acronym.

Anyhow, this car cum Segway weighs only 300 pounds, and can carry two people. It is similar to the Segway in that it follows the same two-wheel principle. With regard to its power source, it is fully electric, and can travel 35 miles on a single charge. The speed? It can go as fast as 35 miles per hour.

I can now just imagine New York city – where the PUMA was unveiled, by the way – teeming with countless little cars. Needless to say, if the PUMA takes off, it will solve a lot of problems. Since it is electric, there would be less emissions. It will also lessen the tedious process of finding a parking space. Last, but perhaps one of the most important, it will mean less traffic on the streets. (That is if other cars are taken off the streets.)

However, since everything is still at the prototype stage, we have no ideas about the full capabilities of the PUMA as well as its price.