General Motors' EN-V concepts made their North American public debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week.
The EN-V which stands for Electric Networked Vehicle, represents a vision of the future for urban personal mobility, including a feature that would allow the vehicle to park itself and automatically return to the user when summoned from a smartphone application - particularly useful for people with reduced mobility. The concept electric vehicle could also be used in places like airports and university campuses although it was designed to alleviate concerns surrounding traffic congestion, parking availability and air quality.
It is less than half the length of a Smart Fortwo Coupe. Six EN-Vs can fit into a standard American parking space while one self-balancing two-wheeled EN-V provides interior space for two passengers. EN-V can detect obstacles in its path, including pedestrians or other vehicles, and automatically come to a stop, using its sophisticated sensing technology.
Photo by Sam Abuelsamid for General Motors
"I was a little worried about the balancing before I got in but it felt totally normal, completely natural," said Mark Harris of the Sunday Times of London, who rode in one of the EN-Vs.
"The field of vision is really impressive as well," said Pike Research analyst John Gartner. "It's a great sense of being aware of everything around you."
Last year GM launched the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car which is reportedly not making money, although the Company hopes it will become profitable in three years depending on production volume and GM's ability to reduce the car's cost.
The Company also has plans to launch a new hatchback and a multi-purpose vehicle - essentially a small minivan - likely in 2012 and 2013, Dan Ackerson, CEO of General Motors recently told reporters they will likely launch a plug-in hybrid version of the Cadillac SRX crossover.
For more attend: Future of Electric Vehicles Europe 2011.
Reference: General Motors
