CES 2011 - GM Makes Us Green With EN-V
posted Friday Jan 7, 2011 by Jon Wurm
Day 2 of CES was even more mindblowing than the first, which I doubted was even possible. However, I'm okay with being proven wrong, this time by none other than GM. I also don't feel bad because they are pretty intelligent people. There are more automobile companies than ever this year at CES 2011, with Ford, Audi, Hyundai and General Motors just to name a few. All of them showcased their newest and shiniest models for the masses to gawk over but GM certainly has the most unique showing this year out of all the automobile companies and just maybe CES.
To find out how GM made us green with EN-V, hit the break.
Around 3:30pm today Scott, Nick and myself made our way out of the convention center and outside to a tent-like building with a giant GM logo on it. Inside, they gave a brief presentation on the fundamentals of vehicles as we know them today. For example, depsite all the variations and advancements since the Model T, vehicles are still built around a frame with 4 wheels attached to axels and most still rely on petroleum fuel. So the basic principals cars where designed around at the beginning are still relevant today.
After the presentation concluded a large portion of the back opened up, which was unexpected and really exciting, and they had marked off a test area behind the building with 4 odd looking vehicles parked throughout. They continued the demonstration by introducing to us the EN-V, which is a concept car that blew our minds. If you have ever heard of "Smart Cars" then forget about them because the EN-V makes them look chronically enfeebled. The EN-V uses the same technology that Segways do to balance, since they only have 2 wheels. They also have accelerometers, GPS and other sensors that let them accomplish some amazing things without even needing anyone in the car.
The user has the ability to tell the car to park itself at a location determined by GPS and recall the car to their current position, all from the control of a mobile phone. The EN-V is also capable of sensing people and/or other objects to avoid collisions. The last ability showcased was a docking ability where one EN-V could communicate with another to follow them around then disband when necessary. Have I mentioned they can also operate up to 25 miles on electricity and have no emissions? How cool is that?
All of us also had the pleasure of riding in one of the prototypes and getting some first hand experience with the future of automobiles. Within the next few days we will be posting pictures and video from our EN-V experience so be sure to check them out and catch a glimpse into your future, because one day you will most likely own one.
