Business World

SHANGHAI — It’s not quite as foldable as the vehicle that cartoon figure George Jetson pops into his briefcase as he bops into the office.

But the EN-V concept car, GM’s "automobile solution" for the future, just might fit into an apartment foyer.

General Motors and its Chinese partner SAIC are showcasing the "Electric Networked-Vehicle" launched Wednesday in their joint pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which opens May 1 and runs for six months.

The EN-V, pronounced "envy," is GM’s latest effort to burnish its credentials as a future-focused, environmentally friendly company and shed its image as the bastion of the gas guzzling Hummer. The automaker is in the process of winding down Hummer after a deal collapsed to sell it.

The two-wheel, two-seater EN-V, which looks like an oversized vacuum cleaner, is not just about making vehicles small, lightweight and emission-free, the company says.

With the trunk-less EN-V, GM has jettisoned the traditional "three box" system and gasoline-fueled engine in place of a pure-electric minivehicle meant for city driving faxless cash advances.

Five fit in the parking space needed for one conventional vehicle, says Kevin Wale, president and managing director for GM China Group.

"GM’s vision with SAIC is petroleum-free, emission-free, accident-free and congestion-free," said Wale. "We think we can do that by combining the benefits of electricity and connectivity."

The approximately 5 foot by 5 foot EN-V appears to build on GM’s earlier work with Segway Inc. in developing the PUMA, or Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility, vehicle. It will use the same types of battery cells as the Segway and the same battery supplier, Valence Technology Inc., said Christopher Borroni-Bird, GM’s director of advanced technology vehicle concepts.

The EN-V’s maximum speed of only 24 mph and other high-tech features reduce the need for heavy, high-stress steel, bumpers, air bags and crumple zones, Albano says.

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