General Motors and its Chinese partner Shanghai Auto (SAIC) presented today a new trio of self-balancing two-wheeler concept vehicles that will be showcased in public for the first time at the SAIC-GM Pavilion at World Expo 2010 Shanghai that runs from May 1 through October 31.
Called the EN-V, which is short for Electric Networked-Vehicle, the two-seater concept is tailored to the crowded mega-cities of the future.
If the whole project sounds a bit familiar, that's because the EN-V is an evolution of the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (P.U.M.A.) prototype that was co-developed by GM and Segway and debuted in April 2009.
One of the chief differences is that the EN-V features a bodywork. GM developed three different variants of the EN-V named Jiao (Pride), Miao (Magic) and Xiao (Laugh).
The Xiao (blue color) was designed by GM Holden's design team in Australia, while the look of Jiao (red finish) was penned by designers at GM Europe and Miao (gray color) was designed at the GM Advanced Design Studio in California.
The body and canopy of EN-V are constructed from carbon fiber, custom-tinted Lexan and acrylic, lightweight materials more commonly seen on race cars and airplanes. It weighs less than 500 kilograms or 1,102 pounds and is about 1.5 meters or 59-inches in length
All three versions of the EN-V are propelled by electric motors in each of their two driving-mode wheels. Power for the motors is provided by lithium-ion batteries that can be recharged from a conventional wall outlet and allow the EN-V to travel at least 40 kilometers or 25 miles on a single charge
Everything in EN-V is drive-by-wire while the concept can be driven both manually and autonomously.
"The EN-V reinvents the automobile by creating a new vehicle DNA through the convergence of electrification and connectivity," says Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group
"It provides an ideal solution for urban mobility that enables future driving to be free from petroleum and emissions, free from congestion and accidents, and more fun and fashionable than ever before."
For more details on the EN-V, check out GM's fast facts below.
EN-V Fast Facts:
- Vehicle
- EN-V is short for Electric Networked Vehicle
- Leverages electrification and connectivity, creating a new class of personal urban mobility
- Connectivity separates EN-V from other electric vehicles
- Autonomous driving, parking and retrieval with advanced sensors and drive-by-wire systems
- Uses electricity supplied by a lithium-ion phosphate battery and can be recharged using ordinary outlets
- Maximum speed of 40 kph and range of 40 kilometers, which is more than required by the average urban commuter
- One-sixth the size of a regular passenger car and a 1.74-meter turning radius
- Two-wheel drive, accommodates two passengers
- Operating Cost
- One-fifth to one-sixth the price of a conventional motor vehicle
- One-third to one-fourth the operating cost of a passenger car
- Can be driven 24,000 kilometers for RMB 840 (based on current electricity rates in China)
Urbanization Facts:
- There will be more than 1.2 billion cars on the earth in 30 years
- By 2030, 60% of the world's population will live in urban areas
- China's estimated urban population will reach 1 billion by 2030
- In megacities, 30% of fuel is wasted while drivers look for a parking spot (costing the average commuter an extra RMB 336 per month) and 70% of vehicle owners have trouble finding parking at least once per day
- Today's cars require more than 10 square meters of parking space and are parked more than 90% of the time
- Half of all trips in metropolitan areas are 5 kilometers or less and 28% are 1.6 kilometers or less
- In cities, more than 85% of vehicles have one occupant
