Great to see my bailout money going to useless endeavors. The Segway was barely useful. Build good cars GM, not silly things I'll get killed in while in Chicago traffic.

It would make hi-jacking alot easier where I stay.

I guess a bicycle is too much work.

"wouldn’t it also be easier to get more cars off the road and encourage people to use public transport?"

If public transport was readily viable in most of the US (world?), that might be a good idea.

Segway and GM seem to be pushing this towards really big cities where subways, metros, trains etc are usually pretty decent but people are driving everywhere anyway. Aside from the fact that the PUMA can only do 35 miles on one charge, congestion is less of a problem in smaller cities and towns and so, there's less of a need to scale back the number of cars on the roads. I'd also be concerned about the accidents these would likely be involved in if they were out on roads with less traffic, ie faster drivers. Scary.

The thing runs on electricity. That energy doesn't appear out of the blue.

People need to get realistic about this nonsense.

It's been some time since GM design something beautiful and useful...People just have to stop being lazy and walk more or ride bike and use public transportation. I do and in a very big city, São Paulo (BR) and amazingly enough I waste less time in traffic.

In the US, we're going to see a lot of urban flight now that the economy is entirely in the toilet. It makes this that much less relevant, here. In Japan or the UK, where cities are geographically denser, it might be useful.

While public transportation ridership in the US has increased in the last half year or so, people will never give up their cars. GM really needs to get its head out of its ass and invest in viable, practical, and profitable research and development.

Agreed it's a crappy investment. Just to be clear, I'm not a fan of this at all, I just figure rather than wasting this money developing a product that will reach mass production, a "take the subway to work" campaign would likely have been money better spent.

ummm...where do you put your hooker?

That's what I took from your original article. It didn't seem like you were lauding the product. And, I agree that a campaign for public transportation would be more effective at reducing congestion. Problem is, haha... GM is technically in the business to increase congestion by selling more cars. We'll never see a GM "Take the Subway to Work" promo... although, if they did, I'd find it refreshing.

Sadly, few decisions are made these days with benefit of others in mind. Times will change, I hope.

LAWL, on your lap, naturally. Dead hookers, however, do not apply.

Note to Kennedy family: do not buy one of these.

Why dont you actually do some research on GM. GM has developed one of the best hybrid electric drive systems in the world, to its credit, over 60% of the new hybrid electric public buses use this new drive system. With R&D comes certain toys, or as they call it, proofs of concepts. When certain ideas are hashed, and you need a trial of said idea(batteries) you need a cheap way of proving their reliability, efficiency, etc, why not try and turn a profit and recoup some losses by slapping two name brands on a proof of concept and run a test on your systems. This is exactly that. Cater to those that can afford to play with these toys, make some money, and test a design. It is simple really if you just get past all the rhetoric over this company and actually look at facts. Rush is not the only thing you should take to heart, reading for yourself and actually studying a company you wish to bash will make you look a bit more intelligent over just repeating what you hear from others.

Puma? I think it looks more like a warthog....

Bad jokes aside... I'd be embarrased to be seen anywhere near that thing.

Public transportation only works if it takes me to my destination Faster and cheaper than I can drive. In most cases it either doesnt even go there, or takes longer (memories of a 3hr bus ride to college vs a 45min drive in my car).

I daresay thats why lots of people dont take the bus/train/subway.

my thoughts exactly.

Hey, alright. This is great for the sequel to Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Whats better than a segway (well, besides everything)? A segway that you can sit down in!!! W0oT!!!

Wow what a piece of junk. The segway at least has some use in some areas, but this thing....what the hell were they thinking....

This would make a great vehicle for urban neighborhoods. I wouldn't mind owning one as long as it isn't more than $1000.00

Just for the sake of argument. Imagine for a moment if all non-commercial vehicles within the city limits of New York City were limited to 1000lb or less. I.e. Only vehicles like this, or slightly larger, were legal.

Think of how rotten the parking is in a large city. How many of these could you park in a single normal-sized parking space? I would imagine you could stuff in at least 2 in the same space. So you would effectively double the parking space in the city without doing anything (aside from maybe remarking the parking garages/streets ... which = more jobs).

The range is sufficient for in-city travel and there is NO gas used which translates to less smog/pollution in the city and decreases on noise pollution as well.

With how relatively simple this vehicle is, maintenance should be nearly non-existent.

And at (a guestamated) $4k or so, what crook is going to bother trying to car-jack one?? This is a functional vehicle only. Nothing that chop shops are going to be interested in.

This vehicle certainly won't do for commutes on the highway but for in-city transport, along with public transit, I think this would be highly beneficial.

I fully agree with you.
But this kind of campaign may not be a good idea for GM... actually it can be GM's nightmare if everybody uses mass public transportation instead of driving...lol

That is not a Puma. Puma was a South American Volkswagen powered car.

Looks more like a Hyena to me.
What a dumbass, stoopid idea and waste of time and money .
Someone stop that segway visionary from hanging with GM.
The whole grid, single file sci-fi bit is even more annoying.
Soon theyll want to think up how the whole street lane too is a giant battery and "talks" to each other. Sheesh!

I just can’t imagine myself in this type of vehicle… Honestly I would walk first.

Ever think that maybe they aren't marketing the Puma to the US market? This would go over much better in other countries. We need a better market at the world population than we have at this point. I think the more we can export the better. A large percentage of Americans are way too lazy to take public transit or to ride a bike and it is just not safe with the crime in the larger cities. GM has to start somewhere. Most import owners have it in their shallow minds that the USA car manufacturers make all junk when that is far from the truth. They are actually years ahead of the imports in MPG, reliability, and quality. Most people are just to stupid and close minded to realize the facts though.

Comment to TheJerk

Actually, the economic downturn will cause more people to return to the central city as there is less money available to spend on transportation, and especially since gas prices will continue to rise in real terms. This is actually a very innovative product: It is more fuel-efficient and space-efficient, has zero noise pollution, and zero point-source pollution (electrical generation emissions not withstanding). You can keep mocking it, but the majority of the people did the same thing when the automobile was invented. Most people often don't have the foresight to imagine how important a technological innovation is when they see it. This is much, much different than the original Segway b/c you can seat two people or one person plus limited cargo, plus enclosed to protect one from the elements. Infinitely more useful and practical than the first incarnation.

Segway still trying to sell the technology that has killed two people, one known serious head injury and just for kicks quadriplegic injuries for another. This does not include the numerous lawsuits from face plants and other forms of bodily harm. Consumers have been and will continue to be seriously injured when the Segway malfunctions and suddenly stops without warning or when the tires lose traction due to a twig, a flaw in the road, etc.

GM's vice president says this is going to be safe. Really, like the anti-tip wheels! And he says no air bags and seat belts only for "comfort purpose." Wake up reporters and start reporting on the real problems with the Segway and the harm it has caused. A helmet can't protect you from all head injuries and they are not designed to protect your neck from fracture and potential spinal cord injuries and paralysis.

A helmet wont protect you from mental injuries suffered from actually being seen in one of these!

Um, not to take the side of SegWank, but do you have any idea how many people are killed in automobile accidents every single day in any given city in the US? How about maimed, paralyzed, etc.?

This is a puma: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/ [...] ebba_o.jpg not that dinky little thing lol. They really should come up with a more original name, the cat already has been taken.

Projects like this require a major change in the concept of city transportation design. These small designs are smart, but they require dedicated streets that don't intercept with normal traffic. I just can't fathom people driving these next to an suv or tractor trailer. It requires a firm ban on inner city use of large vehicles.

In America people love their cars to much to allow that.

More use of public transportation is possible, but many just prefer their own vehicle / their own time table and freedom.

The two could meet, but it would require a major city to be redesigned or a new city built for it from scratch.