Hyundai E4U Personal Mobility Vehicle Makes Segway Look Cool
Among the cars at the Seoul Motor Show, Hyundai took the wraps off of the E4U personal mobility vehicle, complete with a windshield helmet that you can’t help but look goofy in.
The E4U sits on a semi spherical ball that provides propulsion. The ball spins counterclockwise, and moves the vehicle depending on which way it is tilted, which is controlled by the users feet. If the drive ball is tilted to the left, the E4U will move forward as the directional force is applied in such as a way that the ball kicks the ground backwards. To move in reverse, users need to tilt the ball to right, so as to kick the ground backwards.
It all seems confusing, especially considering to turn left or right you have to tilt forwards or backwards. One driver commented that without some practice, it can be tough to figure out the functions of the E4U.
To keep the whole thing upright, the E4U is fitted with two guide wheels on the back, which keep the small vehicle stable. Speed varies depending on how much tilt force is applied, but in a demonstration, the E4U ‘s moving speed was about the same as typical walking speed.
GALLERY: Hyundai E4U
[Source: Nikkei]
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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Concluding that the top speed of the device is limited to the speed demonstrated in a small confined space is dumb. Top speed is 18 miles per hour, as the author of the article could easily have found if he had bothered to do 20 seconds of research. I'm not defending the dorky looking thing, I think it's ridiculous. I just hate sensationalistic pseudo-journalism where research is replaced by just making up stuff.
I wanna ride my Honda and drive my Hyundai, but not at the same time,