GM ENV launched today
GM’s ENV concept car was launched earlier today, and has given the world a taste of what we just might be driving in cities just a few years from now. The bubble shaped electric car is known as an Electric Networked Vehicle which will have zero emissions and will rely on an electric motor for power. The three vehicles Miao (Magic) Jiao (Pride) and Xiao (laugh) were developed in partnership with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and will be on display at the SAIC-GM pavilion during the World Expo which starts next month in Shanghai. The ENV’s are only two seater, which is apparently GM’s notion of space saving in future cities where it is expected to be extremely crowded.
The platform for the ENV’s was developed in partnership with Segway to give it its balance and light cargo hauling abilities. The ENV’s are also able to ‘turn on a dime’ according to GM. Furthermore, by using utilizing GPS technology the ENV’s can be driven autonomously or you can flip it into manual mode if you wish to take hold of the wheel. The Lithium batteries that power the ENV are good for 40km round trips, which are enough for the majority of peoples daily commutes and can be charged up from a regular household outlet.
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VERY VERY COOL. I didn’t think GM had this kind of unique creativity in them any more…….just look at the Chevy Volt. GREAT concept car, and now it’s a Prius wannabe. But this…..truly remarkable. A 2 wheel, 2 seater…….and yet not a motorcycle. I’d drive one in a heartbeat if they were available….but I’d like to see a little more mileage capacity than 40km. Nevertheless, great idea, and very cool that they developed this in conjunction with Segway……….now let’s just hope that GM will put this into production in a few years. This, along with the new Chevy Spark (the Beat concept car) gives me some faith that GM still has a few ideas up their sleeves…….keep going GM, this is DEFINITELY the right direction in regards to new, creative products.
Same here – 40km range would not be enough for me.
40km would be great for me, Im reduced to about 20m per day now. Working from home has its benefits.
Volt,a Prius wanna be? It is superior to the Prius in every aspect of operation. Longer Range twice the mileage, faster and much larger inside. I agree that it should have looked more like the concept butIf you drive less than 60K/day you will never use gas. And unlike the Leaf or Mitsu electric if you need to go 500K you can.
Where can I put my golf clubs???
Come on, get your priorities straight – what’s REALLY more important here? A lousy passenger, or the ALL IMPORTANT golf clubs? For me it’s simple – I’d tell my passenger to WALK!!
Good plan.
Maybe I’d have to convince my friends to all get them, and we buzz our electric bubbles on down together in a group, like a modern biker gang.
Did they mention anywhere anything about expected pricing? It looks like a low cost unit to me.
I think this is a great evolution for the mobility as service category for urban markets.
GM,Segway, SAIC partnership has a long runway and I hope the software and assistive/autonomous systems continue to evolve!
I wrote a recent post on the service model scenario for GM- for those interested!
http://www.garrygolden.net/2010/03/25/env-general-motors-personal-urban-vehicle-category/
Garry G
Brooklyn, NY USA
Its a shame they look like Davros’ illegitimate spawn after his night with a Clown.
I mean seriously, can you see anybody getting in any of those things and not being laughed off the road?
I would never buy something that looks like a bunch of bubbles. With so little room and range too. This concept is not practical, why can’t GM wake up and actually produce something that works, like BYD.
OK, maybe the look of bubbles won’t make into a production version, Ed!!
However…….when it comes to room, range and it’s potential as a practical concept – let’s think about this one a bit.
Motor vehicle designers have been coming up for years with ideas to reduce the “footprint” (physical space that a vehicle occupies) of cars, especially in regards to cities that deal with significant urban congestion and overcrowded streets. Look at the popularity of micro cars in Europe and Japan – small footprint, easy to park and great for crowded city streets. There are many people who live downtown in big cities who don’t even OWN cars because of the hassle of parking them, and because they don’t really NEED one (a friend of mine who lives in New York City lives like this – he is a well known professor and could easily afford one, but does not because he doesn’t NEED one). THIS is designed for those urban dwellers…..not for those of us who do long drives or need to travel long distances. As urban congestion gets worse, more and more cities worldwide will start limiting access to cars in the central areas (London is already doing this, a section of Broadway in New York City has been converted to a pedestrian only zone, Hong Kong is also hiking up fees to drive your car into the downtown areas) – so something like this could be very practical and useful in the future for urban areas that do this. Look at the facts here – it can carry two people, it’s footprint is tiny (2-3 of these can fit in the space that ONE car takes up right now), it’s got enough range for most downtown areas of big cities, and you just plug it in….no gas needed, no pollution to worry about. Now…..do I want to see a bunch of upright bubbles roaming the streets in the future? No……but this CONCEPT is great. It is a viable, practical solution for downtown urban transportation needs….it can help solve the problems of overcrowding, pollution, noise, it offers year round weather protection (a big plus over motorcycles) and can probably be fitted with a air conditioner (for summer comfort). Obviously it’s crash protection is less than a regular car, but in the future for cities with “car free” zones or at least very limited access for cars (it’s inevitable and we know it), this would be perfect. It won’t replace the car as a standard form of transportation, but it IS a great alternative for those who would like something more than just their feet but don’t really NEED a car….and that potential market includes MILLIONS of urban dwellers around the world. I’d say that makes this a practical enough idea, don’t you think?
Its a Segway with a roof and perspex door. Id rather that two seater Toyota, the Toyota iQ
I disagree with you on one point.
I do want to see a bunch of bubbles roaming the street. They look pretty light, when someone pisses you off, you and your friend could literally pick up their bubble and put it somewhere else, or tip them over like an outhouse.
Plus, throw on some innertube ish bumpers and friends can play bumperbubble.
But how is a family of 3, 4, or 5 be supposed to ride in this? Plus groceries and other items too? How do they go on road trips? this is obviously not practical, and to own this vehicle, a family of more than 2 will need another car, so I don’t see much potential in this concept. Not to mention what would happen if it were to get hit by another car…
If people didn’t “need” a car, then a bike, public transportation, or simply walking would do. If people that didn’t need a car bought this, then it’s just a waste of money and energy, since they don’t need a car.
You’re basing your whole argument on everyone owning a car having a family to drive around on a regular basis. Maybe this breaks yer bubble soccer mom, but there are a mass number of commuters who often drive *alone*. You do realize there are lanes in some countries with more advanced traffic/transportation infrastructures that specify lanes for 2+ passengers….and those lanes are WAY faster than the meat of the traffic? What would that indicate? …. …. The logical response would be a majority of drivers drive _alone_. Lets get some statistics:
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/010230.html
I’d imagine you’re in a position now, with some facts, to realize that there is an enormous market for a vehicle like this.
*sigh* 0 emissions, small footprint, ‘automatic driving’ (depending on how well it works), 40km range.. I’d say they are building it to the *SPECIFICATION* of most commuters, rather than just some random concept.
But you realize that these people, once they do start families, will have no need for a car like this, however you may argue it, this car is not practical for your average consumer. Most people with cars do have families, and even for a single person, the space is very small, with little room for other items. Besides, people who are single have friends and family too, what would they do if their relatives or friends needed a ride? and why would GM limit their consumer base to just these people when they can produce a car that’s for everyone and gain a way larger market? I can’t see everyone actually wanting to ride in bubbles, especially in front of others. It’s cute, but again, not practical. GM needs to wake up, that is the truth.
Ed, you are right – this is not practical with families with 3,4 or 5 people……….but you are ALSO missing the point that Rick is trying to make. This is NOT DESIGNED for these families (at least not in the sense of trying to carry the entire family at the same time). Rick is right when he says that many people commute ALONE, and that is simply a waste of gas. Most commuters ALSO travel less than 20km to their jobs, so this also works for them. Another thing (not so much in China but in other countries)…..many families own TWO cars, sometimes more – and one of the cars is usually dedicated as a commute vehicle. This would ALSO be applicable for those families as well…….and one other thing that directly relates to China. I don’t know about other provinces, but in Guangxi it is common for families (with 3 or 4 people) to squeeze on to a motorcycle all at the same time. Is this insane? Is it unsafe? YES – but they do it anyway. I would MUCH rather see them squeeze into something like this (this obviously offers more room than a motorcycle does) and be protected even in a minimal sense compared to a motorcycle. Oh by the way – GM WILL offer other hybrid/electric vehicles with 4 wheels for families, one will be out this year (the Chevy Volt). This ENV simply fills a niche for a particular need – short distance commutes and local travel for people who (on a normal basis) drive alone or don’t need the room for a family. This IS NOT for everybody – but then again neither are SUV’s or sports cars or motorcycles, but they still make and sell them because for some people a SUV or sports car or motorcycle is the right thing for those people. I personally would never buy a SUV, because I don’t need that kind of vehicle………but this little ENV would be perfect for me based on the driving/commuting that I do. Maybe you would never buy this because it does not fit your needs, and that’s fine – but don’t assume that everyone else has the same needs that you have.
So what exactly is good about this that makes it better than cars like the BYD E6 or other electric vehicles? The only thing is that it’s small, which probably makes it unsafe, so there is a trade off.
Careful now Ed……….I never said that the ENV is BETTER or WORSE than anything else – just different. Nevertheless, you pose a valid question. Here are some sobering facts that have nothing to do with cars, but the world in general. In 1950, 29% of the world population lived in cities. Right now, for the first time in history, more the HALF of the world’s population lives in cities, and by 2030 UN-HABITAT estimates that 75% will be living in cities. That is a HUGE increase, and every single bit of physical space in cities will need to be used as efficiently as possible. It goes without saying that even today, driving in most big cities in the world is a exercise in frustration – extremely crowded, very difficult to park, exorbitant parking garage fees when you get tired of looking for a open parking space – and it’s just going to get much worse based on urban growth projections. Think about it…..more cars means more physical space to park them, whether it’s open parking space on the street or in a garage. It also means more gas stations and more roads, which is MORE physical space – cities in the future simply cannot afford to do this with increasing populations. One obvious answer to all of this…..DOWNSIZING. People living in the cities in the future will have to get used to living in smaller apartments, working at home more instead of commuting, and those that do commute will need to get used to smaller vehicles. The ENV is just one piece of the puzzle…..Nissan has also developed microcars like the Hypermini and the Pivo2, Toyota has the iQ (which will go on sale next year as the Scion iQ and a electric version in 2012 known as the FT-EV) and most every other car company is developing microcars and new urban forms of transportation. BYD’s E6 is also a piece of the puzzle too…maybe not so much in the urban sense, but in the overall quest to fight global warming and reduce dependency on oil. Society in general is going to have to rethink how they live in the 21st century…..in the 20th century, many people got used to thinking “bigger is better”, but NOW the slogan needs to be “smaller is smarter”. I support ANY valid concept that is going to help in the quest, whether it is 2, 3 or 4 wheel vehicle makes no difference to me. I like the ENV a lot, and I also like the Toyota FT-EV, the electric version of the Geely Panda, and I REALLY like the Nissan Land Glider. ALL of these are solutions, as well as many others – and we need ALL of them if we’re going to really make the future a better place to live.
what is the price of this
joninchina, Agree with your comments thus far cos they make sense, just wanted to share situations where I live, generally people living aroung me use more than one car, hubby and I use one car between two of us, max only two bums occupy at the weekend in a five seater, my next door has just sold his third vehicle, but they still use two other vehicles between the two despite the fact that one of them works two minutes WALK from home, another couple further down use four vehicles despite the fact that one of them commutes to work on tube (major bone of contention when it comes to parking in the communal car park), my neighbours opposite use four vehicles between four (another bone of contention), in this decade I have not seen any one of the vehicles with all four bums sitting in them at the same time in the same car, admittedly they all work and leave their home independantly, therefore, warrant their own vehicles, apart from the fact that people are too selfish to share their private travelling space with others, there is also the issue of security when it comes sharing with strangers, EN-V would be perfect in capacity, cost and environment along with all those valid points that you raised, my opinion is that people have become so very proud and vain to be seen dead in a wierd or strange looking vehicle, but where is the logic in having all four five-seater vehicles where one five-seater and three two-seater vehicles could suffice? Much like you I too have witnessed entire families balanced on a motorbike in India/Africa, lol, this era surely raises spoilt people with more money than sense, on the way to work I struggle to find anyone driving with a passenger except moms delivering one child, I for one wouldn’t see any logic in putting up an argument with your valid points, afterall if each household owns one five-seater vehicle, no reason why the others vehicles cannot be two-seaters!
I do like the idea of more parking space…even here in Omaha in the downtown area it gets extremely crowded with all the daily commuters.Maybe they could also come out with a large model as another option.What do you guys think?
-curlygirl12
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