GM has unveiled the EN-V personal mobility concept. It's electric, seats two and has about 8bhp.

But before you click elsewhere, there's much of interest about it. There are three varieties, though each has the same platform, drivetrain and 'intelligent' self-driving technology.

At about six-feet tall and half as wide, the two-wheel EN-V takes power from a new type of super chicken chained to a tiny treadmill beneath the driver. Not really, it's a lithium ion battery that feeds two tiny electric motors in the wheels, each of about 4bhp.

It seems Segway-like in approach, although it steers and accelerates much like a 'normal' car, in that the driver doesn't have to tilt and it has an accelerator button. It also drives itself, so it can be programmed to traverse a set route while you Facebook your friends.

The 'intelligent' part is that it can also read traffic so it can avoid jams when it's on the way to pick you up. Owners can also send it packing back home to charge itself, and if it comes across another EN-V, it will slipstream it to preserve battery life. Complicated crash evasion technology ensures it won't smash into the back of the car it's following if it suddenly runs out of charge and stops dead.

Its battery range is 25 miles at up to speeds of 25mph. GM claims it's highly manoeuvrable and takes up about a quarter of the space of a normal saloon.

It won't get anywhere near a showroom and GM admits it, so don't cancel your Mitsubishi i-MiEV order just yet.

Mark Nichol - 24 Mar 2010