General Motors (GM) is hoping an autonomous, two-wheeled electric car will help the manufacturer make serious inroads into the emerging Asian markets.
The US-based firm behind Vauxhall has set itself the huge challenge of designing a new personal transport solution for the rapidly expanding and densely populated cities of countries such as China, that will also limit increases in congestion, carbon emissions and road accidents.
The results are certainly striking: the pod-like concept vehicle, revealed earlier this year at the Shanghai World Expo as GM’s vision for 2030, comes in three unusual and suitably Asian-looking designs, with one from Opel/Vauxhall Advanced Design in Germany.
Known as the EN-V (Electric Networked Vehicle), the car is powered by a lithium-ion battery and has a carbon-fibre body that sits on a sliding chassis developed from the original Segway vehicle. The front-entrance two-seater car balances on two wheels when activated and lowers its nose to the ground when parked.
GM says an autonomous driving system that uses visual and ultrasonic sensors, plus a wireless internet connection, will help the car to avoid traffic jams and other vehicles, helping to limit congestion and improve safety. The car also has the ability to park and drive itself along a programmed route.
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