The future e-car that beats traffic

Tuesday, 11 January 2011 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

London: Fed up with traffic jams and lack of parking spaces? Just cheer up, for scientists claim to have designed an electric car which can beat traffic congestion and even capable of parking itself.

According to its developers, the two-seat Electric- Networked Vehicle (EN-V) is designed to alleviate those common driver concerns and also address environmental issues, energy consumption and affordability.

And, amazingly one doesn’t even need to be in the driving seat to achieve all this. The EN-V from General Motors can rotate 360 degrees and be driven in manual mode with a driver – or without, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported.

The GM car, recently unveiled at the Las Vegas Convention Center, runs on battery power for 25 miles on a charge, with top speeds of 25 miles-per-hour. “This vehicle is going to be increasingly needed in the markets where we hope to grow our business. It’s really a step up from a bike. We think it will be less expensive than a car but more practical to move around in,”said Chris Borroni -Bird, GM’s director of advance vehicle concepts.

Electric cars are better for travelling short-distances and air quality in crowded cities, he said.

And GM has equipped the EN-V with specialised technology developed by its OnStar subsidiary that allows it to talk to other cars, anticipate dangers and scan blocks for available parking spaces. All this will help avoid congestion, Borroni-Bird said, because accidents and people circling for parking often cause major traffic holdups in big cities.

The only downside to this pint-sized vehicle is its inability to withstand a collusion with a full-sized vehicle, say its designers. Cities could, however, create EN-V-only lanes, or create enclosed areas solely used by the vehicle.