GM EN-V Concept: A certain vision of the urban mobility of tomorrow
After the concepts of "i-Real" Toyota presented in Tokyo and "3R-C" Honda unveiled in Geneva, voila GM intends to do the same with his vehicle concept "EN-V" when holding the World Expo Shanghai, which opened its doors in October.
All these vehicles have one thing in common, namely to define what could become urban mobility in twenty years. Or 60% of the eight billion earthlings have a storefront in highly urbanized areas. The three concepts present themselves in the form of two-seater powered entirely to electricity armchairs.
In fact, they are three varinates the EN-V concept that account unveil the American manufacturer. The EN-V Electric Networked-abbreviation for Vehicle was designed in collaboration with the Chinese company Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.
Cote numbers, these vehicles announced a range of 40 km and a top speed of 40 km / h. They can even turn a speed of lightning thanks to their turning radius of only 1.74 meter. The EN-V vehicles have a GPS system that connect them, while allowing them to move also autonomous way.
To learn more, here is the press release for this purpose.
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GM unveils EN-V concepts: urban mobility of the future
o Mutation radical answer to a growing urbanization
o The convergence of electricity and connectivity redefines automotive
o The EN-V concepts will be presented to the World Expo Shanghai 2010
Shanghai - By 2030, urban areas will house more than 60% of the 8 billion earthlings. Which will exert enormous pressure on a public infrastructure that is already barely meet the growing demand for transportation and basic services.
General Motors and its strategic partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.. Group (SAIC), have in common the desire to satisfy the need for personal mobility through a radical change in personal urban transportation means. They are exploring several solutions for tomorrow's drivers. Among the most promising, a new type of vehicle that they baptize EN-V.
A promising solution
The EN-V, short for Electric Networked-Vehicle, electric networked car retains the central idea of personal mobility - guarantee of freedom - but it helps to remove the automobile from the environmental debate and affirms leadership in the design . The EN-V is an electric vehicle designed two places to break free of the problems of congestion, parking, air quality of and accessibility to the cities of tomorrow.
Three versions of the EN-V was unveiled today in Shanghai. They illustrate three different aspects that focus on the concepts of pleasure for the mobility of tomorrow: Jiao (satisfaction), Miao (Magic) and Xiao (Laugh). The concepts will be presented from 1 May until 31 October to SAIC-GM Pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai. Shanghai should be one of the homes that will implement personal mobility solutions for the future.
"EN-V reinvents the automobile and created a new race car converging electrification and connectivity. It provides an ideal solution to get around the city, allowing the conduct of tomorrow to liberate petroleum and broadcasts, to liberate congestion and accidents, and to be more pleasant and trendy than ever, "assured Kevin Wale, president and CEO of GM China Group.
A revolutionary technology
The EN-V concept is based on the prototype Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (PUMA), which was developed by GM in collaboration with Segway and presented in April 2009. Anime It is situated by electric motors in each of its two wheels that two functions. It is a technology that GM had initially presented on the Hy-wire concept at the Paris Motor Show in Paris in 2006. Engines provide power for acceleration, but also fly the deceleration and stop. The turning radius is greatly reduced compared to conventional cars today, allowing EN-V is turning "in a handkerchief. "
Own engine power is ensured by lithium-ion batteries. Recharging can be done conventionally on a conventional outlet, and allows the EN-V to travel at least 40 kilometers on a single charge. The EN-V can also take advantage of the electrical infrastructure of a public network, because the vehicle has the ability to communicate with the battery to determine the best time to load, depending on the average use.
By combining multiple systems, GPS (Global Positioning System), communication vehicle and vehicle-to-radar distance, the EN-V concept can be driven manually or autonomously.
His opportunity to ride in standalone mode allows to hope reduce congestion by allowing EN-V to automatically select the fastest in terms of traffic information in real time itinerary. The concept also use wireless communications to enter a "social network" that can be employed by the driver and passengers to communicate with friends or working relationships while driving.
This combination of detection systems, wireless communication and GPS navigation is a technology base that certain elements could be broken down from the EN-V concept and possibly lead to future advances automobile security systems.
The faculty to communicate with other vehicles and with the infrastructure could dramatically reduce the number of car accidents. By using its Embedded sensors and a camera, the EN-V concept can "detect" what is around him. The vehicle can therefore react quickly to obstacles or changes in driving conditions. For example, if a pedestrian is committed on the floor before it, the EN-V is slow to move a safer and will stop faster than the current car speed.
GM is the leader in development of autonomous vehicle systems. He works with students and faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This collaboration resulted in a Chevrolet Tahoe referred to as "The Boss", which materialize the autonomous vehicle in 2007. EN-V uses the lessons learned with "The Boss" and offers the opportunity to lead a people who could not otherwise use a car.
"The EN-V concept represents a major breakthrough in the ongoing quest for GM give rise to autonomous vehicle," said Alan Taub, Vice-President of GM Research and International Development. "The elements that allow some autonomous behaviors that are found on the EN-V concept such as lane departure warning, the dead angle detection or adaptive cruise control, are devices that can be found already in some GM models marketed. "
The EN-V concept was designed based on the speed and autonomy desired by current urban drivers. It weighs less than 500 kilograms and is about 1.5 meters long. In comparison, a classic car today weighs more than 1,500 kilograms and is three times longer. In addition, today's automobiles require more than 10 square meters of parking space and are parked more than 90% of the time. The smaller size and better maneuverability of EN-V are the same parking lot can accommodate five cars EN-V.
Smaller and smarter
If the EN-V innovates of efficiency and technology terms, it is also a new reference automotive design. For his presentation, GM has asked its design teams around the world their vision of the future of mobility. Xiao (Laugh) was designed by the design team GM Holden in Australia, while the line Jiao (Satisfaction) is the designers of GM Europe. Miao (Magic) was designed by the Design Studio ahead of General Motors in the state of California.
Each EN-V's decline from an original theme design that highlights the flexibility of the propulsion platform. The design confers each EN-V its own personality, each with its own opening harmonies and color interiors, lightings and its seats systems. Xiao offers lightweight first, with his painting "blue gum" and inspired a world line of the boat. Miao takes most of its references in the world of electronics, as evidenced by his appearance and sober men. Designers also used Miao to display innovative lighting solutions, with an abundance of LED. With its clean lines and bright paint, Jiao was inspired by high speed trains and Chinese opera masks the.
"The EN-V uses technology and cutting-edge materials that has allowed the design team the opportunity to explore a whole new world," said Clay Dean, Director of Design for GM advance America North. "As there were structures and light materials, integrated controls, we created original forms that are not usually found in the automotive world. "
The body and the glass roof of EN-V are made of carbon fiber, color Lexan and acrylic, materials that are used in automobiles rather than competition, in military airplanes and spacecraft because of their qualities of strength and lightness. The opportunity to work with such innovative materials gave an opportunity to learn the GM design teams, and to study the feasibility for future integrations in traditional automobiles.
The compact size of the EN-V is an ideal means of transportation in cities heavily populated, thanks to its security systems and propulsion advances. And "anything that small is beautiful," as evidenced by the innovative interior design of the EN-V, which provides maximum visibility to the outside world. A simple interface that enables Wi-Fi systems allows passengers to stay connected with the outside world.
"Our future mobility in urbanized areas like Shanghai can combine the best of possibly individual mobility and transport. But there is a better solution, and it is called EN-V. It is proof that we have already in our possession the knowledge and ability to provide a way to move with the world not only a better city, but also a better life, "concluded Alan Taub.
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