GM, Segway Partner on Two-Wheel City Vehicle

Exavior said:
Sorry, he pointed out cost, lack of storage and limited seating also so I wasn't sure what exactly you were trying to use motorcycles as the example for.

With that said Motorcycles and scooters aren't a good replacement for a car all year around in all places. I don't see people riding either when there is ice on the roads or when there is a few inches to a few feet of snow on the ground. They are fine for mid spring to mid fall in the north. However I would have to agree that none of them are practical for winter up north. Although as you pointed out that just puts them into the same usablity group as a motorcycle / scooter for when they can be used. I would have to wonder though, with just two wheels spinning like that how it would do in heavy rain? At least with motorcycles you can help keep the balance and keep the front end from going all over some. How would you keep one wheel from loosing its grip in this case and spin you around?
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Somehow I can't picture this "car" or whatever you want to call it trekking through the snow we get up here in North America......
 
my only issue with it and the Smart Car is this,if you get hit by one of your kids who is on a Big Wheel,who is going to get the worst end of that? :confused::D
 
wow... why is this a 2 seater? so you don't look like a failure by yourself?
 
Lower it to the ground a bit, use some bigger wheels, slap an R1 engine in it, then I will drive it. Course with that much torque you might as well just make it a four wheeler, Youd be slamming against the back wheel accelerating and slamming against the front one braking anyway.
 
The only gripe I actually have about the auto manufacturers (specifically Ford) is that they provide Europe and the UK with very inexpensive and great mini wagons like the C-Max and the S-Max, and the "smallest and most inexpensive" car here is the freaking Focus which is a sedan.
 
MacGyver467 said:
Segway started sales in 2003. It's been out for six years.
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After I posted that, it didnt' seem right. It was the 2nd gen that came out in 2006. Either I overlooked gen2 on the other site I was looking at or they omitted that minor detail. Although I didnt' think it had been that long, how time flies.
 
Exavior said:
After I posted that, it didnt' seem right. It was the 2nd gen that came out in 2006. Either I overlooked gen2 on the other site I was looking at or they omitted that minor detail. Although I didnt' think it had been that long, how time flies.
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YA RLY! Time does fly! I will admit that it seemed like "yesterday" that they came out. Anyway, the PUMA project started in 2004 after GM was impressed with the Segway's design and started talks with Kamen.
 
mynamehere said:
Just make a freaking car with great gas mileage...what a waste of engineer time. This is not a 3rd world country, we don't want minime cars. If you make a decently priced quality car that gets great gas mileage people will buy it.
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Hrmm.. well my '89 Honda Civic wagon gets over 36mpg. Pretty decent gas mileage for a 20 year old car.

And my friends '80 VW Rabbit 1.6L stroked diesel gets 50-60mpg. How's that for a 29 year old car?

My old '76 Datsun 280z 2+2 could get 29.3 mpg at a cruising speed of 75-85mph when tuned for fuel mileage. Never tried to see what I could get at lower speeds.

So much for these new "most efficient" in such and such class vehicles.
 
I wish I could say this is going to help all the GM stock I own but all they are screaming today is bankruptcy!
 
As just a proof of concept this thing is ok. Too bad the concept sucks.

It's too big for the sidewalk and no way that thing can be certified for general street use. As mentioned by others anyplace that receives anything remotely close to what most Americans call weather would shut this thing down for a good portion of every year.
 
mynamehere said:
QUOTE=fps4ever;1033940120]I bet that will run really well in New York during the winter... just put on snow tires. :rolleyes:

Just make a freaking car with great gas mileage...what a waste of engineer time. This is not a 3rd world country, we don't want minime cars. If you make a decently priced quality car that gets great gas mileage people will buy it.
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I'm sure the heater iin this thing's top notch for winter:rolleyes:Another warm weather, California type mobile that'll most likely never see production.Knowing they've been in financial trouble for as long as most of us can remember, what idiot thought this was a good idea and gave the go ahead to get involved in such an impractical project in the first place?Exactly, they spend money on stupid crap instead of making something profitable...oh yeah and making things reliable would be a nice change of pace.

Maybe they should have given one of these to all the bigwigs at the auto makers & had them fight to the death in a modernized version of gladiator games...the survivor gets his company bailed out.:p

Hey!, We can spend money as foolishly as they can so where's OUR bailout?:mad:[/QUOTE]

As impractical as they might have been. There were several vehicles of the past that got great MPG. The first one that comes to mind is the Honda CRX. Depending on how you drove it, you could get upwards in the 40's. The other one is the Geo Metro. That one could get near the 60's or 70's. I don't think they make these vehicles anymore.
 
MacGyver467 said:
The only gripe I actually have about the auto manufacturers (specifically Ford) is that they provide Europe and the UK with very inexpensive and great mini wagons like the C-Max and the S-Max, and the "smallest and most inexpensive" car here is the freaking Focus which is a sedan.
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I've said it before and I'll say it again. One of the main reasons that American automakers get a shitty rating in this country is because a lot of their vehicle line-ups look like shit from the interior to the exterior. Who the hell wants to pay $20, 30, 40k for a car that you are going to look like a total douchebag in? I won't.
 
Azhar said:
Ever heard of motorcycles?
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And your point is what?
There's one big difference there - I would have no problem riding a motorcycle (weather permitting - which most of the year it's not where I live), but I wouldn't be caught dead on one of these Segway wheeled-contraceptives.
 
((no edit - grr))

BTW - you can ride a motorcycle farther, and on any road you want. These things aren't street legal...........you'll have to ride them in designated paths - like bicycle paths.
 
all i have to say is: hooray GM. your worthless proof-of-concept shitbox on wheels exists! next month: you're bankrupt. congrats.
 
I wonder how inexpensive this thing will be? Hopefully under $8K; because it looks like they may get beaten to the punch yet again: http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2009-04/9000-plug-hybrid-will-beat-volt-market

Not exactly a true volt or seg-box competitor, but with a high top speed, larger range, and highway capability the MP3 offers better fuel economy and stability than motorcycles it appears to be more attractive to the US market. Not sure if it will hold up against the 'scooter' stigma though. The safety and parking security are still valid concerns, but that's true of any non-car urban vehicle (well, small cars too).

And how do they think a top speed of 35 mpg for the seg-box will work? Just taking surface streets I drive on plenty of 45 mph urban streets to work. Driving 10 mpg slower than traffic, THAT'S a safety concern.

PS: As to the above smartcar comment and safety, the Smart car is remarkably safe for a compact car; performing well in crash testing for its size. Of course it won't do as well as an F-150 in a head-on collision at 70 mph, but not many vehicles do, and that's a very rare incident. It's safety features add to the weight and to the detriment of its fuel economy and price, which is a valid complaint against it. For example - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24599768/
 
It should be called Segway Hybrid Intercity Transporter...aka S.H.I.T

I can see it being used on places such as Catalina Island where cars are banned...but in city traffic :p
 
Ok so GM made a wheel chair with a wind screen, GREAT!!! I knew Obama would come through with a plan.
 
Kibbles said:
It should be called Segway Hybrid Intercity Transporter...aka S.H.I.T

I can see it being used on places such as Catalina Island where cars are banned...but in city traffic :p
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[/thread] :D I love laughing so hard at work it freeks out other people.
 
On the light side of this, can anybody remember two (or more) failing companies that have come together near (very near) the end of their existence for a bigger ball of flame failure product, idea, etc?:confused:
 
If that thing so miuch as touches an american car it will crumple into dust in the air then explode!
 
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