OPEL Flextreme Concept Car With TWO I-2's in a rear compartment

[Wallace]

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/opel-flextreme-concept-1/

Photos on this site are SWEET.

Someone has figured out how to "Fold Up an LSF" and get it into a car - under power.

[quade]

When I was a kid 40 or so years ago, there was this TV show called The Jetsons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFbuulDiM_U

You have about as much chance of seeing the "OPEL Flextreme Concept Car With TWO I-2's in a rear compartment" actually come to market as I did seeing George's flying car that folded up into a briefcase.

Yeah the photos are sweet, that's their only purpose in life though.

[jgbackes]

<snip>

You have about as much chance of seeing the "OPEL Flextreme Concept Car With TWO I-2's in a rear compartment" actually come to market as I did seeing George's flying car that folded up into a briefcase.

<snip>

You might be overly cynical, even when they show the Saturn version of the car in the states they still talk about the segway storage.

Saturn Flexstreme (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=124285)

I am not holding my breath however.

[quade]

Heheh . . . you say that like it's two different cars. Same concept car, just being shown with a different name because, well, in EU they sell Opels and in the US they sell Saturns, but the only things that are fundamentally different are the badges. They only need to make one concept car, but they pretty much have to call it whatever they sell on the respective countries because the entire point is to generate press to sell more cars. Not the one they're showing as a concept mind you; that's only there as a hook for the press.

[KSagal]

When I was a kid 40 or so years ago, there was this TV show called The Jetsons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFbuulDiM_U

You have about as much chance of seeing the "OPEL Flextreme Concept Car With TWO I-2's in a rear compartment" actually come to market as I did seeing George's flying car that folded up into a briefcase.

Yeah the photos are sweet, that's their only purpose in life though.


I cannot say for sure anything about George Jetson's flying car fold into a briefcase, but that technology does appear to exist.

I have seen a girl in an SUV, park the car and have it fold into a small package she keeps in her pocketbook. I saw it on television, so it must exist!

It is just a small step to having a flying car do it...

[SEGsby]

OMG! It's GIVING BIRTH...

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/opel-flextreme-concept-1/400113/

SEGsby

[Wallace]

Found this at YT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVrHEjQ1wVg&feature=related

The animated video of the SEGWAY Rear carrier and the "Unfolding LSF" is shown toward the end of this promo.

Seems as if SEGWAY INC did the Make Over for the autoshow. Smaller wheels/tires for the I-2, a telescoping/folding LSF, etc.

Another video with the current SEGWAY Inc. Pres. said he was a former GM executive.

TARKUS - Here is your folding/telescoping LSF - INC had it all along.

[polo_pro]

The animated video of the SEGWAY Rear carrier and the "Unfolding LSF" is shown toward the end of this promo.

Seems as if SEGWAY INC did the Make Over for the autoshow. Smaller wheels/tires for the I-2, a telescoping/folding LSF, etc.

Another video with the current SEGWAY Inc. Pres. said he was a former GM executive

Great video! I have to wonder how the dual trunk will work out? I'd whine about it limiting the size of the cargo you can load, but with the double doors on each side, that gives you a pretty big opening (assuming that seats can be easily reconfigured).

The video did a good job of showing off alot of the new features. But I didn't quite understand what they were fooling around with in between the seats on the floor? I do have to say, I like all glass roofs (maybe with tinting inserts or solar cell inserts, eh?). But then I also live in a region that never sees hail (and my cars are garaged most of the time).

[quade]

But I didn't quite understand what they were fooling around with in between the seats on the floor?

That's where the car's battery goes.

Further notes on video . . .

Ahem, folks, they call them "suicide doors" for a reason and for the back seat where you'd normally put kids . . . I don't think so.
Lack of B Pillar is not going to pass crash testing and removes a significant portion of rigidity from the vehicle.
Dual clamshell back hatches? Not a chance in hell.

Now, let's consider the inclusion of the Segways. I've been thinking about this again. No, I still don't think it would ever happen, but I want to go beyond that. Let's figure this out. You have a vehicle capable of taking you "the last mile" (the car itself); tell me again what you're going to actually use the Segways for on a day to day basis? Hmmm, let's see. You wake up at your home, hop in your car, drive to work, get out and then use your Segway to go from the parking lot to the office?

[SEGsby]

Lots of bad CG Lighting and camera work there... Ungh.

SEGsby

[hellphish]

It looked like every architectural flythrough rendering I have ever seen.

[hellphish]

You have a vehicle capable of taking you "the last mile" (the car itself); tell me again what you're going to actually use the Segways for on a day to day basis? Hmmm, let's see. You wake up at your home, hop in your car, drive to work, get out and then use your Segway to go from the parking lot to the office?

Lucky you who can park so close to his office. I used to have to walk half a mile from where I parked to where I worked. Uphill both ways even. There are lots of places where I live where you have to park on the street and you are lucky if you can get close enough. Don't even get me started on convention parking.

I guess the coolest thing about this vehicle is you can take a trip to Disneyland and park wherever you want and then glide right inside the park!

[quade]

I guess the coolest thing about this vehicle is you can take a trip to Disneyland and park wherever you want and then glide right inside the park!

Bwahahah . . . I wonder how that lawsuit is going?

[Desert_Seg]

Lucky you who can park so close to his office. I used to have to walk half a mile from where I parked to where I worked. Uphill both ways even. There are lots of places where I live where you have to park on the street and you are lucky if you can get close enough. Don't even get me started on convention parking.

Just try working at the Pentagon. Captains / Colonels make coffee and park miles away. Imagine where I had to park (third row, 9th spot, just past the Metro station, it pays to be friendly to the parking coordinator :)).

I guess the coolest thing about this vehicle is you can take a trip to Disneyland and park wherever you want and then glide right inside the park!

Ah, that's rich and gave me a good laugh. Rep points for you (dang, Polo is rubbing off on me)

[polo_pro]

That's where the car's battery goes.

Further notes on video . . .

Ahem, folks, they call them "suicide doors" for a reason and for the back seat where you'd normally put kids . . . I don't think so.
Lack of B Pillar is not going to pass crash testing and removes a significant portion of rigidity from the vehicle.
Dual clamshell back hatches? Not a chance in hell.

Now, let's consider the inclusion of the Segways. I've been thinking about this again. No, I still don't think it would ever happen, but I want to go beyond that. Let's figure this out. You have a vehicle capable of taking you "the last mile" (the car itself); tell me again what you're going to actually use the Segways for on a day to day basis? Hmmm, let's see. You wake up at your home, hop in your car, drive to work, get out and then use your Segway to go from the parking lot to the office?

Indirectly, you made a good point. There are going to be many design changes to the Flextreme. But compared to dual clamshells and suicide doors, the segways coming out the back begins to look almost reasonable. It's always about trade offs...benefit vs cost of various features.

Speaking of benefits, let's talk about parking fees. You pay $15 to park close to your office in a urban setting in a southern state. But with the Flextreme, you can now park a mile away at the $5 lot and segway to work. So with 250 work days a year, you save $2500 (plus a small amount of gas if that lot is closer to home). And what did you lose? 5 or 10 minutes given over to joyous gliding!

Now let's paint another commuting picture (again in a southern state to eliminate the weather argument). You live over 5 miles away from a light rail station, and your work is on the other side of a major metropolis and 3 miles from the another light rail station on the same line. To avoid traffic (or be green) you normally drive to the nearby station, park, take the train and then walk the last 2 miles to work from the far away train station. With a Flextreme, you take the segway with you when you board the train, and what was a 45 minute walk (or expensive cab ride) becomes 15 minutes of joyous gliding. So you either save $2500 in cab fare OR you get back 5 hours a week (plus a boost in quality of life given the 2.5 hours of gliding you're doing each week).

I'm sure you can poke holes in these scenarios. Not all light rail systems allow segways. A few large metropolis allow segways on their sidewalks. Finally, commuters might not pony up for a segway even if they can get it for half off (given the possible savings over a year)?

ps - desert_seg, I'm finding those rep points useful in another way. When I strongly agree with a person's post (and like some insightful point they make in it), I just give rep points and a comment (instead of a short post) when I don't have anything more to add. The only down side of this approach is that people don't see me publicly agreeing...but for many situations that's fine.

I'll blame this shift in posting style for my recent slow down in the post count race....8^) 8^) 8^)

[Desert_Seg]

...But compared to dual clamshells and suicide doors,...

I'm not a big fan of suicide doors but I do like the clamshell trunk

...I'll blame this shift in posting style for my recent slow down in the post count race....8^) 8^) 8^)

Huh? 4 days ago you were 10 behind, now you are still 10 behind. I don't see a slow down :)

Steven

[SEGsby]

Um, I've made my living doing high end CG car commercials for the past 3 years... Trust me, it sucked.

SEGsby

It looked like every architectural flythrough rendering I have ever seen.

[hellphish]

Um, I've made my living doing high end CG car commercials for the past 3 years... Trust me, it sucked.

SEGsby

Um, I've made my hobby doing crappy CG for the past 8 years... Trust me, I was agreeing with you.

[SEGsby]

Ooooh, sorry. You have examples of your work? What packages do you use?

SEGsby

Um, I've made my hobby doing crappy CG for the past 8 years... Trust me, I was agreeing with you.

[nickyboy]

That's where the car's battery goes.

Further notes on video . . .

Ahem, folks, they call them "suicide doors" for a reason and for the back seat where you'd normally put kids . . . I don't think so.
Lack of B Pillar is not going to pass crash testing and removes a significant portion of rigidity from the vehicle.
Dual clamshell back hatches? Not a chance in hell.

Now, let's consider the inclusion of the Segways. I've been thinking about this again. No, I still don't think it would ever happen, but I want to go beyond that. Let's figure this out. You have a vehicle capable of taking you "the last mile" (the car itself); tell me again what you're going to actually use the Segways for on a day to day basis? Hmmm, let's see. You wake up at your home, hop in your car, drive to work, get out and then use your Segway to go from the parking lot to the office?

I think your missing the overall picture. This car is not for the exclusive use of Americans, there's a whole world crying out for this type of vehicle.
Mainland Europe especially is so congested that it can take 3 hours to commute 10 miles in and around London, and I'm not talking about the City either. Just ask Isidore!
What they have done here is open their minds to the rest of the world, instead of just thinking introvertly about America. Being able to commute to the outskirts in your car, and commute "The last Mile" or four/five or more miles, by Segway makes absolute sense. Large "Park and Ride" (maybe that should be Park and Glide?) car parks already operate in many large towns and cities around the UK. Car parking space is very limited, and very expensive, so even if you do insist on polluting the environment by driving that last mile, you sure ain't going to park that easily.
Just to give you an idea of what I am talking about. Drive your car into London and it costs £8.00 ($16.00) Congestion Charge. Hybrids and LPG are exempt.
Parking in Central London areas can cost up to £25 -30 per day ($50-60). Parking in the City (if you can find it), upwards of £50 per day ($100).
Now multiply those figures by 5, for an average working week.
Hmmmm, maybe that concept makes sense now, eh?

[quade]

London is a "special case". I'm not missing the overall picture, you are by trying to apply something so specific to the world at large. There is NOT a "whole world crying out for this type of vehicle."

[nickyboy]

London is a "special case". I'm not missing the overall picture, you are by trying to apply something so specific to the world at large. There is NOT a "whole world crying out for this type of vehicle."

Yes yes yes there is. Believe me. I am well travelled. I have visited every European country, Russia and Scandanavia, as well as Australia. I have also travelled extensively in the US, 13 different states and many thousands of miles by road. London is not a special case. London is just typical of what virtually every major city is like in Europe.

[bentbiker]

Yes yes yes there is. Believe me. I am well travelled. I have visited every European country, Russia and Scandanavia, as well as Australia. I have also travelled extensively in the US, 13 different states and many thousands of miles by road. London is not a special case. London is just typical of what virtually every major city is like in Europe.
I'm in complete agreement with you regarding the infrastructure creating a fantastic opportunity in ALL large cities, but I certainly hope they don't create a product destined for failure because the Segway built into it has too many compromises. The current kluge has a narrower track, a heavier LSF, more points of mechanical failure, and smaller wheels (I think?); I could see a lot of people wanting the car but also wanting a REAL Segway. After all, the P model didn't make it even though it is perfect for a few.

From a different point of view, almost everybody talks about how great the Segvator is -- this is the built-in Segvator, the best of all worlds, whether used for the last mile or just to haul the Seg anywhere.

[polo_pro]

I agree that the future may be for those car manufacturers that stop thinking of the car as the "last mile" vehicle. And I do hope the Flextreme will be ready to go before the need for it is clear. But where I lose faith is when I look at the track record of American car manufacturers...for decades upon decades upon decades they've not had the foresight to stay ahead of consumer demand. They prefer to follow the pack instead.

OK, maybe there's two exceptions to the above statement: SUVs and EV-1s. Funny that in both cases, the auto manufacturer successfully predicted where the market was going to go, yet ironicly these two vehicle classes are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

ps - Do keep in mind that Quade may be biased by where he lives....the sprawling LA basin where "nobody walks in LA", eh? Even this region (the Southwest of the USA) sprawls with either an unending sea of suburbs along the coast OR areas of vast unpopulated desert (sometimes turned into a garden of Eden by piped in water).

[Desert_Seg]

London is a "special case". I'm not missing the overall picture, you are by trying to apply something so specific to the world at large. There is NOT a "whole world crying out for this type of vehicle."

Quade, a car such as the Flextreme would be very well accepted in Europe and some parts of Asia and South America. Not so much (currently) in the Middle East.

While Nicky mentioned London the same could be said for many other cities in the afore mentioned places.

Steven

[Desert_Seg]

I'm in complete agreement with you regarding the infrastructure creating a fantastic opportunity in ALL large cities, but I certainly hope they don't create a product destined for failure because the Segway built into it has too many compromises. The current kluge has a narrower track, a heavier LSF, more points of mechanical failure, and smaller wheels (I think?); I could see a lot of people wanting the car but also wanting a REAL Segway. After all, the P model didn't make it even though it is perfect for a few.

From a different point of view, almost everybody talks about how great the Segvator is -- this is the built-in Segvator, the best of all worlds, whether used for the last mile or just to haul the Seg anywhere.

John,

The P was extremely well accepted in Europe and is still being sought by many there. If I'm not mistaken the Segways used in the prototype were P bases with a modified LSF. I'd expect the final base to remain similar but the LSF to be modified to make it look less industrial.

As for the SegVator, while a good product I know of many (a lot) of people who don't want to hand their Segway off the back of their vehicle, whether it be for fear of theft or fear of damage in an accident.

Steven

[bentbiker]

The P was extremely well accepted in Europe and is still being sought by many there.
I guess we have a different opinion as to what it means for something to be "extremely well accepted." For me, something can't be extremely well accepted, and still go out of production for lack of demand. My point was that I hope they pick a Segway that gives the greatest chance of a successful product (if produced or if is demand assessed), and that clearly wouldn't be a P-size unit, or else the P would be in production and the i2 wouldn't.

As for the SegVator, while a good product I know of many (a lot) of people who don't want to hand their Segway off the back of their vehicle, whether it be for fear of theft or fear of damage in an accident.
That was my point. I'm not trying to praise the Segvator, but the Flextreme. All the advantages of the easy loading and charging of the Segvator, while keeping the Segway inside the vehicle -- as I said, "the best of all worlds."..........

[Desert_Seg]

I guess we have a different opinion as to what it means for something to be "extremely well accepted." For me, something can't be extremely well accepted, and still go out of production for lack of demand. My point was that I hope they pick a Segway that gives the greatest chance of a successful product (if produced or if is demand assessed), and that clearly wouldn't be a P-size unit, or else the P would be in production and the i2 wouldn't.

What you are losing sight of is that the European sales didn't start until 18 - 24 months AFTER the US sales. As I understand it, the p took off in Europe but by that time its fate had already been determined.

That was my point. I'm not trying to praise the Segvator, but the Flextreme. All the advantages of the easy loading and charging of the Segvator, while keeping the Segway inside the vehicle -- as I said, "the best of all worlds."


Got it. I read it as praising the SegVator.

Steven

[bentbiker]

What you are losing sight of is that the European sales didn't start until 18 - 24 months AFTER the US sales. As I understand it, the p took off in Europe but by that time its fate had already been determined.
So you feel that more people want a P-size model than the full size i2?

[Desert_Seg]

So you feel that more people want a P-size model than the full size i2?

No. I believe more people in Europe and Asia want a P-size model than a full size i2.

American's like their BIG stuff. Europeans and Asians are much more into "downsizing" than we are.

Steven

[Sal]

No. I believe more people in Europe and Asia want a P-size model than a full size i2.

American's like their BIG stuff. Europeans and Asians are much more into "downsizing" than we are.

Steven

Steven, count me as one of those here in the States who LOVED his P series and would snap one up if it was made again (I sure wish the P series had the top speed of an i thought, that was one of the reasons I sold it not long after I got one, I couldn't keep up with Nora on her 170). :D

-Sal

[Desert_Seg]

Steven, count me as one of those here in the States who LOVED his P series and would snap one up if it was made again (I sure wish the P series had the top speed of an i thought, that was one of the reasons I sold it not long after I got one, I couldn't keep up with Nora on her 170). :D

-Sal

I like the P also although I am much more comfortable on an i Series. My daughter (petite little thing that she is) is more comfortable on her P.

I agree on the speed thing. I would think since it is sleeker and weighs less that it should be made to go faster :D

Steven

[segsurfer]

I like the P also although I am much more comfortable on an i Series. My daughter (petite little thing that she is) is more comfortable on her P.

I agree on the speed thing. I would think since it is sleeker and weighs less that it should be made to go faster :D

Steven

I second the speed view.

[hellphish]

I think Segways should go slower. Someone could get hurt.

[nickyboy]

I think Segways should go slower. Someone could get hurt.

Carefull, I nearly neg rep'd you there!

[hellphish]

Carefull, I nearly neg rep'd you there!

Don't worry, someone else already did.

01-25-2008 06:10 PM -- lame humor

[Desert_Seg]

Don't worry, someone else already did.

You get a Pos Rep just 'cause you named him / her "Spineless Turkey" (Ironically this post will likely cause them to neg rep me :))

Steven

[Isidore]

Sorry, had my eye off the ball for a bit. I posted many years ago that the p was the right solution for the far east- Japan, China etc. If you go into any Japanese city with huge pedestrian/ cyclist areas with no cars, the p is ideal. On the other hand the European model of Segway use is tending much more towards a cycle lane use so if anything we need a slightly quicker i series that can keep up with the guys in Lycra (spandex). Like any product, the present design is a compromise. As sales rise it will be perhaps be possible to have a p2 and a faster i100 or whatever. As for the discussion on parking in European cities, Nick is quite right about the costs being a all pervasive issue. What he didn't mention is issues like the London Congestion Charge- currently £8.00 per day for access to central London with the prospect of an increase later this year to £25.00 per day for cars in the top CO2 emission band- effectively anything like a 4x4 or big engined sports car or even my 4 wheel drive Golf!!!