Sit-down Segway, safe for streets, is set

Thu Apr 9, 2009 5:18PM EDT

See Comments (24)

Before you ride a Segway, you probably just dismiss the thing as an impractical toy for rich kids. Which, in all fairness, it is.

But once you actually ride a Segway, you immediately want one, if for no other reason than so you can tool around your driveway on it -- like a skateboard for grown-ups.

Now Segway is taking a turn for the practical, teaming with General Motors on something called Project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), which finally turns the Segway's self-balancing technology into something that might conceivably become useful outside the gates of your manor and the polo grounds. The project was formally announced this week at the New York Auto Show and it looks awfully cool so far.

The PUMA features the familiar two wheels, side by side, just like the Segway has, but the similarities start to diverge from there. First, you ride the PUMA not standing but sitting down -- as does your navigator. That's right, there's room for two people in the PUMA (and possibly more down the line), which means you'll be able to chitchat with someone about the people pointing at you from the sidewalk while you drive around town.

Then there's the speed and range. At a maximum speed of 35 miles and hour and 35 miles on a charge (all tentative -- this is prototype stuff), you'll be able to get around on city streets without being flattened into the pavement. (The original Segway tops out at 12 1/2 miles an hour, far slower than a typical bicycle, and has a max range of 24 miles.)

There's no telling what PUMA will cost, but the company mentions it will be a third the price of a car (don't know which car) at most. $8,000, perhaps? Seems like a reasonable place to start -- the electric Smart Fortwo two-seater (which is a fixture at San Francisco tourist destinations being driven by mouth-agape renters) runs about $12,000 to start.

There's also no word on a release date, but here's hoping at least for a chance at a test drive in the near future. Stay tuned!

Find out more here.

Via CrunchGear (which has lots of video)

Comments on Sit-down Segway, safe for streets, is set

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  • 6 Posted by aeschylus_68 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    Keep in mind that many new technologies and products are "novelties for the rich" when they are first introduced. Cellphones were novelties for the rich a little less than twenty years ago. I personally think that while this is not a practicality for a family, it certainly is an exciting start into a vehicle that is efficient, environmentally friendly, easy to make space for, and probably a heck of a lot of fun to tool around downtown streets in. Kudos to GM (in this matter, anyway.)

  • 7 Posted by raiders1637 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is not the reason GM is in trouble. Having to overpay all of the union workers to build them would be the reason.

  • 8 Posted by vickiebeilharz on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    Why does this remind me of the movie Wall e everyone was super fat, cuz they couldn't even walk to the mail box.

  • 9 Posted by alexuribe53 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    Ford and Chrysler are going: "brilliant idea, lets join the wagon"

  • 10 Posted by christomartha on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:24PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree with spartantrader - think about some futuristic flicks where people do mobe around in things that looks like this Seg'.

  • 11 Posted by spoken01 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    The public has got to accept a different concept in transportation...I have noticed in different arenas that some are hanging on to the idea of a car as a 4-6 passenger box that goes 90+miles per hour. The public has got to rethink THEIR concept of transportation or we will be stuck with the same old thing and 8 dollar a gallon gas. It has to be more than just changing the fuel type. I would be all for a two passenger vehicle with a little cargo room....BUT NO BOXES...the stuff that has been put into production is to ugly,boxy, and to slow. I saw a sort of flip top sports car that was built in germany that touts 90+ miles per gallon on desiel and was purported to cost less than 20000 US dollars. This is the kind of stuff we need....they said they could not get it into the US...why?......our plethoria of silly a$%$# regulations. I think we are in trouble......

  • 12 Posted by njl433 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    The Reason GM is going under is because of the union greed and poor management. It is this simple.

  • 13 Posted by pshr1996 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    You never know what impact this might have on the future of transportaion. Maybe it is the 1st step to a $1,000 vehicle. After all, the Nano built by Tata Motors is a 5 seater, is $2,000 with extreme fuel efficiency and goes 60 mph on the highway. Ford Motor has a 67 miles per gallon vehicle on the market in Europe which they refuse to sell in USA.

  • 14 Posted by harrellsteve61 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    American car manufacturers need to concentrate on building more reliable cars. If there was better quality than maybe not so many Japanese cars would be sold here at home. Executives are worrying too much about huge "bonuses" and tremondous wages than the quality of their vehicles. I uses to be all American but I don't like their marketing tactics.

  • 15 Posted by frawgwalla on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:03PM EDT Report Abuse

    They didnt invent this yesterday. dont think that its the reason for all GM money troubles.

  • 16 Posted by fge00 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    for the price of one of these I can buy a used care. I live 20 miles from work. I can get there but I can't get home. Other factors with these things are you can't take them on the highway and in areas where its snows they are useless. When they think of one that good in all climates instead of just the climate of say California. They might actually a good idea. I mean when you think about it isn't the segway just laziness gone mad. Last but not least release the rest of the country from California emission standards and we could do wonders with the automobile industry.

  • 17 Posted by vern.edmett@ymail.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:33PM EDT Report Abuse

    looks like half of a smart car.. anyway just wondering how practical it would be. not many cities would be friendly enough for it.

  • 18 Posted by snowbored888 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    This ought to go over well! I mean, I see Segways all over the place! They are so popular! Thank god Kamen invented one so you can sit down! That was my biggest beef with the Segway, I couldn't sit down and instead had to stand while looking like an idiot with people laughing at me!

  • 19 Posted by marchmresetarits on Wed May 13, 2009 12:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    To: you From: Marc Herbert Matthias Resetarits RE: I just bought a 1 million mile air filter! Dear Sir or Madam: It looks like I am keeping the ride for A cool 100 years, at least! Do you think they are up to it? What is with this little Kia Rio, anyway? Sincerely, Marc MHMR

  • 20 Posted by nicholastimko on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    For people with PAD and other walking related disorders a Segway is not an impractical toy for the rich.It is affordable independence.

  • 21 Posted by rturpin31 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    This looks like a good vehicle to represent our new socialist government.

  • 22 Posted by sillyputt on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    This thing is incredibly stupid. It has no reason for existing. There is no place safe to drive it. It would be a hazard to navigation on bike lanes and a hazard to its occupants on roads. It's just another bad idea from Segway and another fad grab by GM.

  • 23 Posted by mr_hughes2002 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    "Safe for streets? Would you want to get hit by a SUV tooling around in this? How about an 18-wheeler? When thinking of that I picture those cartoons where characters fly across the screen like they are shot out of a cannon. "That's all folks!" No airbags, minimal crash safety protection. A Carolla hitting this is the equivalent of a Hummer hitting a normal car. This is basically a sporty golf cart. And, that's the only place you will see this. Try again GM. If they were smart, then they would have been working on a hybrid to go against the 50mpg Prius or what Honda is launching in 2009.

  • 24 Posted by snoopy4721 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    Ya know what? A slightly slower version of these things has been around for quite a while. They're called electric golf carts. Plus (if you don't play golf) you can use them to carry around your dog, your barbecue grill, your stuffed moose head, or any of the other important things that you want to take along. Maybe if we could invent a golf cart with solar cells on the roof to re-charge the batteries we might have something?

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