After filing for bankruptcy protection recently, GM has turned its efforts toward electric alternatives, including development of its prototype PUMA electric vehicle. Two projects which were not interrupted by GM's filing for Chapter 11 protection are bringing the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle to market and partnering with Segway to develop a clean and convenient form of urban transportation called PUMA.

Based on technologies employed in the Segway Personal Transporter, the PUMA, which stands for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility, is a two-seat all-electric vehicle which will propel occupants up to 35 miles at a speed of 35-mph before needing a recharge. The vehicle will plug into any household outlet, taking just a few hours to recharge.

Like the Segway Personal Transporter, the PUMA is driven by leaning forward to go and leaning back to slow down and stop. To park and exit the vehicle, four small wheels deploy to firmly support the vehicle. The PUMA is not envisioned as an over night solution to busy downtown traffic, but as an overture into a direction where vehicles can connect to each other and pedestrians which can reduce collisions and improve traffic flow.