Hasta La Gadget!

Just hours after General Motors put forth a proposal for a standardized plug for electric vehicles, in flies this. German energy firm RWE has stated that a cadre of respected automakers and energy firms have all come together in agreement on a three-point, 400-volt plug that will enable electric cars the world over to be recharged anywhere, regardless of which recharging station they stop at. Caroline Reichert, an RWE spokeswoman, noted that the idea here is to ensure that “a car can be recharged in Italy in exactly the same way as in Denmark, Germany or France.” We’re told that the agreement includes nods of acceptance from the likes of Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Eon, Vattenfall, EDF, Npower, Endesa and Enel, and while there’s no time frame for when it’ll be introduced, we’re pretty stoked to hear that at least something has been decided upon.

Filed under: Transportation

Automakers agree on common plug to recharge electric vehicles originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite General Motors’ problems, the company has affirmed, reaffirmed and swore on its life that the Volt would hit the highway in 2010 come hell, high water or insolvency. That said, we reckon coming through on that vow is going to get a lot tougher without a few more billion from the United States Energy Department. You see, GM had applied for $10.3 from the entity, and $2.6 billion of that was to be set aside for building the all-electric sedan and two derivatives of it (as well as a third hybrid model, we’re told). Unfortunately for it, all that cheddar is being held up due to its inability to pass a “financial viability test in order to simply survive.” Not surprisingly, GM is assuring the world that the government’s final decision won’t stop the Volt from going on sale this November, but it also said that bankruptcy wouldn’t be needed just a few months ago. Ahem. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

Filed under: Transportation

GM’s request for Energy Department funds on hold, Volt looks really afraid originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right everyone — it’s the Engadget Podcast. If you’re down with gadgets, chatting, and just kicking it ill, you’re in the right place. Hear your friends Josh, Paul, and Nilay discuss the week in technology, and expound on their belief that the P.U.M.A. is a dangerous rickshaw, Acer has stepped up to the netbook plate in a big way, and Microsoft might not be totally on the level with its new ads. Ready to get the blood boiling? Dip your toes into the jacuzzi of chat that is the podcast, and enjoy!

Note: There appears to be some very weird timing issues going on with our audio in this installment. If it seems like we’re talking over each other more than normal, don’t be too alarmed. We’re looking into it now.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Back In Black

01:40 – Engadget’s wild ride in the P.U.M.A.
15:35 – Peapod the friendly Neighborhood Electric Vehicle in the flesh
24:40 – Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo
35:15 – Acer announces Aspire Timeline thin’n’lights — $699 to $899
46:15 – Microsoft’s second Laptop Hunters commercial: Giampaulo buys an HP HDX

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Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 141 – 04.10.2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Against all odds, GM and Segway let us inside their precious P.U.M.A. prototype, and we went for a quick jaunt down 18th St. We couldn’t drive it, unfortunately, but there was plenty of action to be had from the passenger side. Starting from a rest on four wheels — the main powered wheels and the front two “safety” wheels; we never touched the back two to the ground — the contraption shoves itself up onto two wheels quite gracefully, with the passenger compartment moving slightly independently from the wheelbase and floor. It was a bit odd, but not at all unpleasant, and we were soon zipping down the road. Since the P.U.M.A. is self-balancing, we felt way less force when accelerating and decelerating than we would in a car, since our body was being “leaned” into it instead of pulled along. Turning on a dime is quite fun as well, and we could see this thing making itself quite at home on city streets. While it remains to be seen if GM and Segway can commercialize this in time, and for the right price, we’re fairly enamored — at least it’s something different, and it’s already twice as interesting as Segway ever managed to be.

Camera work and moral support courtesy of Autoblog Green’s Sebastian Blanco.

Filed under: Transportation

Engadget’s wild ride in the P.U.M.A. originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM and Segway have announced the Project P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility) prototype, a two-passenger version of the famous Segway that can reach speeds of up to 35 mph and last from 25 to 35 miles on a single charge.

“We are excited to be working together to demonstrate a dramatically
different approach to urban mobility,” said Jim Norrod, CEO of Segway, in a statement. “There’s an emotional connection you get when using Segway
products. The Project P.U.M.A. prototype embodies this completely
through the combination of dynamic stabilization, seamless
drive-by-wire controls, and sophisticated battery systems to complete
the connection between the rider, environment, and others.”

It costs about 60 cents worth of electricity to recharge the lithium-ion batteries in the prototype. The vehicle also features regenerative braking, zero emissions operation, and a turning radius of zero, indicating that it can spin around in place.

Were the vehicle ever to go into production, there’s no word yet on how much it would cost, though both companies theorize that it would “probably [be] less than most current small car prices.” For more information, check out the prototype site at www.segway.com/puma.