Commentary by Robert Colman

General Motors Corp., looking for a number of ways to reinvent itself, announced its most recent bid yesterday - a partnership with scooter company Segway Inc. to develop a battery-powered two-seater. This two-wheeled vehicle would cost about one-quarter to one-third the price of a car. The only question is, who would want it, especially in Canada?

The new prototype vehicle is called PUMA - for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility. Supposedly it can avoid collisions with the help of digital technologies and run for as little as 60 cents (U.S.) a charge, the companies said. Its top speed is about 56 km and can run 56 km on one charge.

But like its relation, the Segway, it's more likely to cause derision than a green revolution where I live, North of Toronto. Any vehicle that has no room for a hockey bag might as well be a bicycle in this environment. And if it's supposed to be ideal for city driving, hopping on the bus or subway seems to make just as much sense.

Absurd as it is, however, it's certainly a move in the right direction for GM. In more tropical climes, it might be just the thing for short distance commuters who don't have ready access to public transit - or who can't yet wean themselves off the creature comforts of traveling solo.

Larry Burns, GM's VP of research and development and strategic planning, is an interesting man to sit down and talk with. It will be interesting to see where he takes this partnership in the future.

Robert Colman is editor of Green Business. He can be reached at rcolman@clbmedia.ca.

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