Two Wheels
 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,2638670.story
[
GM, Segway think 2 wheels
The companies plan to develop a two-wheeled, two-seat electric vehicle as a
clean, safe and inexpensive alternative to traditional cars.
Associated Press
April 7, 2009

New York -- A solution to the world's urban transportation problems could lie in
two wheels, not four, according to executives of General Motors Corp. and Segway
Inc.

The companies plan to announce today that they are developing a two-wheeled,
two-seat electric vehicle designed to be a safe, inexpensive and clean
alternative to traditional cars for cities across the world.

The companies said their project, dubbed PUMA, for Personal Urban Mobility and
Accessibility, would include a communications network allowing vehicles to
interact with one another to regulate traffic flow and prevent crashes.

The 300-pound prototype runs on a lithium-ion battery and dual electric motors
and .....
]

Two Wheels
 

I think it's called a motorbike

Two Wheels
 

On 7 Apr 2009 16:15:40 +0800, adchin wrote:

I think it's called a motorbike

The P.U.M.A. prototype
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=15888
--
Cliff

Two Wheels
 

On Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:12:41 -0400, Cliff wrote:

On 7 Apr 2009 16:15:40 +0800, adchin wrote:

I think it's called a motorbike

The P.U.M.A. prototype
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=15888

http://www.segway.com/blog/20090406i...-puma-329.html
http://www.segway.com/puma/

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayS...74&docid=53538
--
Cliff

Two Wheels
 

Ok, thanks for the links. I went and did some searching myself. Pretty
cool vehicle i'd say, but can't GM just purchase a bunch of Tata Nanos,
rebrand the thing and sell it as is and save all that R&D and expenses to
be incurred ? It's not like GM is freakingly healthy and has tons of
cash to R&D today

Two Wheels
 

On 7 Apr 2009 19:15:16 +0800, adchin wrote:

Ok, thanks for the links. I went and did some searching myself. Pretty
cool vehicle i'd say

I wonder about heat & A/C .... gets cold some places & hot
in others.
--
Cliff

Two Wheels
 

On Apr 7, 3:32*am, Cliff wrote:
*http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...pr07,0,2638670.....
[
GM, Segway think 2 wheels
The companies plan to develop a two-wheeled, two-seat electric vehicle as a
clean, safe and inexpensive alternative to traditional cars.
Associated Press
April 7, 2009

New York -- A solution to the world's urban transportation problems could lie in
two wheels, not four, according to executives of General Motors Corp. and Segway
Inc.

The companies plan to announce today that they are developing a two-wheeled,
two-seat electric vehicle designed to be a safe, inexpensive and clean
alternative to traditional cars for cities across the world.

The companies said their project, dubbed PUMA, for Personal Urban Mobility and
Accessibility, would include a communications network allowing vehicles to
interact with one another to regulate traffic flow and prevent crashes.

The 300-pound prototype runs on a lithium-ion battery and dual electric motors
and .....
]

The idiocy here is that it is severely limited on how much
deceleration can be provided.

Even if it speeds up briefly to tilt it back before applying the
brakes, it's still limited.

I imagine it gently drops the front onto the casters, then brakes
hard, wasted time and then limited braking force from the rear wheels.


Dave

Two Wheels
 

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 06:35:51 -0700 (PDT), wrote:


I imagine it gently drops the front onto the casters, then brakes
hard, wasted time and then limited braking force from the rear wheels.

What rear wheels?
--
Cliff

Two Wheels
 

On Apr 7, 9:50*am, Cliff wrote:
On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 06:35:51 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I imagine it gently drops the front onto the casters, then brakes
hard, wasted time and then limited braking force from the rear wheels.

* What rear wheels?
--
Cliff

If it were on the main/drive wheels and the front casters, for the
purpose of describing vehicle dynamics it becomes appropriate to
describe the main/drive wheels as the 'rear' wheels.

Overall the vehicle has one (or two?) wheels in the back to prevent it
rolling over backwards, the main drive wheels, and two (looks like 2)
casters in the front.

Dave

Two Wheels
 

Cliff wrote:
On 7 Apr 2009 16:15:40 +0800, adchin wrote:

I think it's called a motorbike

The P.U.M.A. prototype
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=15888

I notice that it is operating on a sidewalk or some sort of cordoned off
area. Are they proposing that all urban streets get rebuilt to
accommodate these?