Photo: General Motors electric concept car

General Motors has unveiled a new electric concept car in China, a solution to end the growing urban concerns like traffic congestion, parking availability and air quality, in Shanghai. 

General Motors has unveiled the three versions of the EN-V, powered by electric motors, can go about 40 km (25 miles) on a single charge. EN-V represents three different characteristics: Jiao (Pride), Miao (Magic) and Xiao (Laugh). 

GM developed the new urban concept in association with its strategic partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Group (SAIC). EN-V, which means Electric Networked-Vehicle, is propelled by electric motors in each of its two driving-mode wheels. 

The concepts will be showcased from May 1 through October 31 at the SAIC-GM Pavilion at World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Xiao (Laugh) was designed by GM Holden’s design team in Australia, while Jiao (Pride) by designers at GM Europe and Miao (Magic) was designed at the General Motors Advanced Design Studio in California. EN-V concept has evolved from the platform of the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (P.U.M.A.) prototype that was developed by Segway and debuted in April 2009. 

Power for the motors is provided by lithium-ion batteries that produce zero emissions. The batteries can be recharged using standard household power. The EN-V can be driven at least 40 km on a single charge.  By combining the Global Positioning System (GPS) with vehicle-to-vehicle communications and distance-sensing technologies, the EN-V concepts can be driven both manually and autonomously. Its autonomous operating capability offers to reduce traffic congestion by allowing EN-V to automatically select the fastest route based on real-time traffic information. 

The EN-V weighs less than 500 kilograms and is about 1.5 meters in length.  Again, EN-V’s smaller size and greater maneuverability mean much lesser packing space it requires in comparison to the present day’s automobiles. 

The body and canopy of EN-V are made of carbon fiber, custom-tinted Lexan and acrylic, materials that are more commonly used in race cars, military airplanes and spacecraft because of their strength and lightweight characteristics.

Check out these stories also:

1. Honda unveils Honda Fit EV Concept Electric Vehicle and Plug-in Hybrid Platform at Los Angeles Auto Show
2. GM India unveils e-Spark, the plug-in electric car
3. Hyundai unveils its first electric car BlueOn
4. Yamaha launches new EC-03 electric scooter in Japan
5. Nissan unveils Leaf, zero-emission electric car

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