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  Thursday 9th February 2012
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GM's Segway beater. Image by General Motors.

GM's Segway beater
Here's yet another 'personal mobility' electric concept that won't get made. They're getting cleverer though.
<< earlier General Motors article     later General Motors article >>

photographs



News homepage -> General Motors news

GM has unveiled the EN-V personal mobility concept. It's electric, seats two and has about 8bhp.

But before you click elsewhere, there's much of interest about it. There are three varieties, though each has the same platform, drivetrain and 'intelligent' self-driving technology.

At about six-feet tall and half as wide, the two-wheel EN-V takes power from a new type of super chicken chained to a tiny treadmill beneath the driver. Not really, it's a lithium ion battery that feeds two tiny electric motors in the wheels, each of about 4bhp.

It seems Segway-like in approach, although it steers and accelerates much like a 'normal' car, in that the driver doesn't have to tilt and it has an accelerator button. It also drives itself, so it can be programmed to traverse a set route while you Facebook your friends.

The 'intelligent' part is that it can also read traffic so it can avoid jams when it's on the way to pick you up. Owners can also send it packing back home to charge itself, and if it comes across another EN-V, it will slipstream it to preserve battery life. Complicated crash evasion technology ensures it won't smash into the back of the car it's following if it suddenly runs out of charge and stops dead.

Its battery range is 25 miles at up to speeds of 25mph. GM claims it's highly manoeuvrable and takes up about a quarter of the space of a normal saloon.

It won't get anywhere near a showroom and GM admits it, so don't cancel your Mitsubishi i-MiEV order just yet.

Mark Nichol - 24 Mar 2010








    - General Motors news
- EN-V concept images

2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.

2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.2010 GM EN-V concept. Image by General Motors.


our headlines

06 Feb: Suzuki has announced the Alto Play. On sale this week from £7,595, just 500 examples will be built. It is based on the SX3 with extra equipment and can be identified by Oyster Blue metallic paint, blue seat fabric and silver accent on the front bumper. [photo]

30 Jan: Two historic Volkswagen prototypes will come to the UK for the VolksWorld show on 24-25 March. VW38 is one of the earliest Beetles in existence, a pre-production car from 1938. It will be joined by the Porsche Type 64 Rekordwagen. [more...]

29 Jan: A BMW 'Z-Fest' will take place at the Silverstone Classic on 20-22 July. The event will gather examples of the Z1, Z3, Z4 and Z8 and is organised by BMW Car Club GB. The club aims to get 500 cars to attend the celebration. [photo]

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