GM and Segway Team Up

General Motors and Segway (the company that gave us those nifty personal mobility devices) are teaming up to create a new urban vehicle that is small, electric and can carry two people. I think this is definitely where we need to go in the future. If (and that’s a BIG IF) GM is able to pull off this “reinvention” by teaming up with Segway, it might actually survive. Read about it here:

BBC News: “GM and Segway create new vehicle”

Wall Street Journal: “GM, Segway to make vehicle”

LA Times: “GM, Segway think 2 wheels”

New York Times: “G.M. Conjures Up a People-Moving Pod”

N.B. Remember where most of us bloggers get our news. From our newspaper companies!!!

Global Engineering event at CEAS November 2, 2007

The College of Engineering will be holding a panel presentation on “Global Engineering: Vehicle Industry Engineering: R&D Updates” on Friday November 2, 2007 from 2:45-6pm in Room D-109 at the Parkview Campus.  I can’t give you much detail about this event, but apparently there will be representatives from several engineering companies there to discuss the latest research in vehicle development.

Automotive Engineering International: Feature articles

The latest in Automotive Engineering International v114n11 November 2006

Parisian delights (The concept vehicles at September’s Paris Motor Show ranged from futuristic, over-the-top dream machines with diesel hybrid power to fuel-efficient small cars with high-end interiors.)

 Software poses hard challenges (Autocoding, reuse help automakers produce increasingly more lines of code.)

 The two-wheeler future (Japanese manufacturers look to crossovers, hybrids, and alternative-energy concepts to reinvigorate the motorcycle industry.)

 An Aura of refinement (Saturn took cues from its European partner when designing a new entrant for the U.S. midsize market.)

 Decongesting Denver (The road to safer and more efficient ground transportation in the Mile High City is being paved, in part, via a romance between highway and light rail.)

 Hybrids for commerce (Though they represent a fraction of the Japanese hybrid fleet, the four Japanese commercial-vehicle manufacturers offer diesel-electric hybrid trucks and buses that are on the leading edge of the technology.)

  Departments

Tech Briefs

• Lifestyles lab helps Hyundai adapt
• TRW active front steer helps tackle curves
• Collaborating on diesel technology
• Noise-inspired assembly
• ‘Fun to drive,’ low-emissions diesel by Ricardo
• Millbrook dips further into safety testing

 Focus on Electronics

• VoiceBox enables XM conversational control
• Partnerships help expand electronic offerings
• Schott filter improves night vision systems
• SAE standard elevates model-based design

 Material Innovations

• ‘Green’ is theme of GE resins
• Rhodia polyamide all about appearance
• Carbon-fiber wheels hit the road