HOT ON THE WHEELS of the Segway comes the PUMA, a new two-wheeled rickshaw which uses Segway balancing technology and can reach 35 mph. Apparently it is a collaborative effort between Segway and General Motors.
This confection is billed as another revolution in urban transport and I am grateful to the guys at Engaget (again) for their initial impressions. Apparently, it is quite fun to ride but is let down by the lack of infrastructure–that is, somewhere to ride it. It is unlikely to be allowed to mix it with road traffic, it is too big (and too fast) to use the footways and certainly too dangerous to be allowed into cycle lanes. Apparently GM believe towns and cities will be redesigned around the PUMA.
I tend to agree with other commentators that mass acceptance of electric-powered transport will not happen until we can repackaged something approximating to a real car and endow it with real-world performance, safety and range. Something like a Fiat 500 or Toyota Yaris with 100 mph, a range of up to 200 miles and a recharge time of under five minutes would fit the bill. Until that happens, and it depends largely on power-storage technology, the revolution ain't going to happen.
MacOldie is launching a competition to define the new verb "to puma".