GM & Segway Build A Smarter Smart Car

I used to work at Fenway Park, which is pretty sweet in and of itself.  Cherry on top?  I had a Segway in my office so that I could get around the park faster.  I'm not gonna lie, I miss my Segway.  Most people have probably only ever seen them in use by security guards and dorky tour groups, but I challenge you to ride one for ten minutes and not want to zip all over town.  They're absurdly fun.

Now the makers of Segway have teamed up with GM to bring us the Electric Network Vehicle, or EN-V.  Using GPS and the same self-balancing technology as Segway's scooters, this two person pod-car actually steers and parks itself.  Not only that, but they've developed smartphone apps so that you can literally signal the car to meet you at your current position.  Imagine, no more wandering mall parking lots weighed down with shopping bags and trying to remember where the hell you parked.  And, of course, the car is able to avoid other autos and objects to prevent collisions.

There are still a few bugs to work out though.  For example, the EN-V can't drive in rain or snow, nor can it handle hills at all, thus ruling out San Francisco and all of New England.  Also, the GM is not yet satisfied with the GPS technology, which has a margin of error of roughly ten feet.  Obviously that could pose some practical problems.  I'm imagining you standing outside a restaurant and signaling the car to pick you up and instead the car smashes through the side of the building.

GM has the EN-V touring auto shows this summer, and they're estimating roughly another ten years before it's ready to hit the streets.

Massachusetts Shows Some Electric Car Love

I've lived in two major cities in my life, cities which pretty much anchor the opposite ends of the transportation spectrum.  Boston is the land of public transportation.  If you live downtown then chances are you live and die by the T, as parking spots in the city are not only few and far between, but the cost could rival your rent.  Los Angeles, on the other hand, is a city so sprawling that it essentially requires an automobile to get anywhere.  LA has buses and subway trains, but in five years living there I never once set foot on either.  While environmentalists probably cringe at the sight of the 405 (while simultaneously choking on the smog), they could at least take comfort in the knowledge that LA had at least somewhat embraced the concept of the electric car, offering EV charging stations throughout the city.

Looks like my east coast home is jumping on board as well.  According to The Boston Globe, Massachusetts will soon see 142 electric vehicle charging stations installed at 25 sites across the state.  The majority of these sites will at MBTA lots, schools, malls and parking structures.  Most importantly, these electro-pumps will come at virtually no cost to the state taxpayers: the money will come mostly from ChargePoint, a foundation partially funded by the Department of Energy which has installed similar stations throughout California and New York.  As more auto manufacturers plan to release electric vehicles in the next year or so, it's nice to see Massachusetts try to provide the infrastructure to make those cleaner cars feel like a more practically viable option.