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EN-V Concept Takes a Midnight Drive in Shanghai

Tired of having the EN-V Concept on display only at the SAIC-GM Pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, the Americans from GM decided to show the world how the concept vehicle works, by taking it for a 10 minute spin on the streets of the city.

Three versions of the vehicle were created, Xiao (Laugh), Jiao (Pride), Miao (Magic). The ones which made it onto the streets was Jiao. The car left the premises of the Expo escorted by local police.

By-standers on the Huaihai Road had the opportunity last night to see the strange contraption in action, but only briefly. It didn't run a red light, didn't step on a pedestrian's toes and it didn't even drag race. It strolled around for 10 minutes or so, and then went back to its pavilion.

Revealed this March, the concept designed by GM and SAIC is meant to be an electric vehicle to be used in urban areas. EN-V, short for Electric Networked-Vehicle, it uses drive-by-wire technology, with two electric motors being used for both acceleration and braking.

EN-V is made of carbon fiber, custom-tinted Lexan and acrylic materials, weighing less than 500 kilograms. Its size (1.5 meters in length) allows it to be ideal for use in densely populated cities.

The concepts came to be as a means to solve a not-so-distant future problem: congestion. Studies show that in 2030, 60 percent of the world's population will live in cities. That's around 8 billion people. The GM-SAIC solution is a vehicle which would suit the need for smaller vehicles.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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