Jim Norrod at Segway the makers of the Personal Transport and The New GM have partnered to bring us this Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility prototype vehicle. The all-electric PUMA goes up to 35 mph and spins on a dime; the charge has a range of 35 miles. Segway had a chance to unveil the PUMA at the NYC car show to an enthusiastic press. Slick and lean, the PUMA looks like The European Smart Car but without a engine compartment and precisely balanced on two wheels. At test time, the PUMA still without an outer exterior design and no production date insight, didn’t breakdown or have problems. In fact, it did so well that Segway took a couple of prototypes out on the streets of NYC for a cruise around the neighborhood. Check it out
Jim Norrod, CEO of Segway Inc. had this to say about GM after the impromptu demo:
“We are excited to be working together to demonstrate a dramatically different approach to urban mobility. There’s an emotional connection you get when using Segway products. The Project P.U.M.A. prototype embodies this completely through the combination of dynamic stabilization, seamless drive-by-wire controls, and sophisticated battery systems to complete the connection between the rider, environment, and others.”
