Comments on: Project P.U.M.A: a greener solution for urban mobility?

By: Jeff McIntire-Strasburg

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:51:25 +0000

No price yet… it’s just a concept at this point… I’ll keep an eye on it, though…

By: dina

dina — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:59:06 +0000

How much is it?

By: Jeff McIntire-Strasburg

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:36:52 +0000

Daniel– Good point about the limitations — this vehicle is definitely designed for either an urban environment, or suburbs with plenty of low-speed streets. It would be ideal in a mixed-use suburban setting…

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:31:11 +0000

I definitely support a move towards more fuel efficient and versatile vehicles. But I think in the light of some other achievements, this move by GM is trivial. I’d be very willing to switch over to an electric vehicle, but not at the expense of the freedom existing vehicles already offer (speaking specifically to the 35 mile range).

But I don’t live in a dense urban setting, either, so maybe this is more appealing to those who could use it to bypass regular traffic congestion.

There’s a video over at newsy.com (http://www.newsy.com/videos/puma_balances_function_and_future/) that I think does a great job of balancing the positive and negative reactions to this development, as well.

By: Jeff McIntire-Strasburg

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:55:27 +0000

David — I definitely understand your concerns here. The Big 3 in general have moved slowly to produce the kinds of fuel-efficient vehicles Americans want (even when 30 mpg is considered “fuel efficient”). GM’s done better than Ford or Chrysler, but all still have a long ways to go.

I’m encouraged to see GM participating in a project like this, though. True, these aren’t for sale yet, and may never be… But, they’ve associated themselves with a vehicle that pushes the boundaries of what “personal transportation” can mean… and that’s striking. I also wrote about this because I think that we can help push these companies just a bit further towards production. If consumers know about such prototypes, and signal they want them, someone’s going to produce them.

Thanks for coming by and commenting…

By: David - green thoughts

David - green thoughts — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:13:12 +0000

Correction — sorry, the Tesla Roadster gets over 220 miles per charge, I was off by 100.

By: David - green thoughts

David - green thoughts — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:11:25 +0000

If this was some other, innovative company, such as Aptera or Tesla (or one of many others), rather than GM doing the same slow-motion, non-producing dance, I would be pleased.

Why is the Tesla car getting over 120 miles per charge while the Volt is not yet available, and they are “proud” that they are working on getting 40 miles per charge (I think that is the number)? And Tesla is now coming out with a lower-cost model that I am confident will eclipse GM’s effort.

If GM produced and supported that Segway-based vehicle, it would show they mean it. If they blazed new territory and used a small part of their rapidly-shrinking funds, they could be trend setters and perhaps salvage part of their reputation. But no, that would be too risky. They are in such a good position now, why gamble on a REAL new product?

By: SUNfiltered: Project P.U.M.A — a Green Solution for Urban Mobility? : Sustainablog

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:31:51 +0000

[...] Read the rest on the Sundance Channel’s SUNfiltered blog. [...]

By: Hugging the Coast

Hugging the Coast — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:27:48 +0000

I love the idea of this and hope it or a vehicle like this somehow goes into production. It sounds more sustainable, uses less parts, and would be easy to park too.