GM’s EN-V Concept Car – Home, James!

I get in a car these days and I’m amazed that I actually get where I’m going without getting killed, or at least seriously maimed. There are simply too many people on the road. Sometimes while stuck in traffic I remember the Jetsons, you know, the cartoon about the space age family, they had cars that drove themselves, well, they could fly too, but thats besides the point.

GM has introduced an amazing concept that I always dreamed would someday exist on our streets, the EN-V. By combining a Global Positioning System (GPS) with specialized vehicle-to-vehicle communications and distance-sensing technology, the EN-V concept can be driven manually or, get this… it can drive itself.

Its operating systems offer the hope of reducing traffic congestion by allowing the EN-V to select the fastest route based on real-time traffic data. My husband tries to do that, but it never works out that well. The concept also utilizes wireless communications to enable a “social network” that can be used by drivers and passengers to communicate with friends or business associates while on the move.

The ability the EN-V has to “talk” to other vehicles could also reduce the number of vehicle accidents and using vehicle-based sensors and cameras the EN-V can see what’s around it, which allows the vehicle to react quickly to obstacles or changes in driving conditions, so if a child chases a ball out into the street and in front of your car, the EN-V will slow down and stop a lot sooner than today’s vehicles.

Because EN-V is so much smaller and has greater maneuverability you can fit about five of these babies in any single normal size space, so it will be a lot easier to find a parking spot. Amen to that, bring on the future.

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