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We all remember how the original Segway Personal Transporter made headlines in the technology world about seven or eight years ago. To date there have been about 60,000 of the two-wheeled transporters sold – one of them, helping Adam Savage get around on some episodes of Mythbusters, makes me want one every time I think about them.

Today Segway is at it again, this time teaming up with General Motors to come up with a concept vehicle that can ultimately transport people around entire cities. Dubbed the PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), the two-wheel contraption comfortably sits two, rides at a top speed of 35 MPH (around 55 KPH), and goes 35 miles for every charge – which costs 35 US cents.

The PUMA basically employs bigger versions of the technology the original Segway PT used – especially the dynamic stabilizing technology it uses to keep from tipping over. The PUMA basically runs on two large wheels, but has four smaller wheels at the front and back for added stability (and to keep the thing from moving around while parked).

But wait – what does GM have to do with any of this? Isn't General Motors infamous for stubbornly sticking to big, gas-guzzling cars (and is now paying for it)? Well, apparently GM isn't as backward as most people perceived it to be – the plans for the PUMA were laid on the table over a year before they received billions of dollars in bailout money.

What's more, GM is a worldwide name, so Segway won't be limited to the US when production begins tentatively on 2012.

There's just one problem – while the PUMA is compact enough to effectively reduce traffic jams around the world, they're still built to be driven on bike lanes (35 MPH isn't that fast when you think about it, and probably would be passed as though it was standing still on the freeway). This isn't a problem in most of Europe, but this can be difficult in American cities (and in parts of the world where it's simply too hot to bike around town).

Still, it's good to know that GM is putting some of the bailout money to good use (despite the howls of criticism from the blogosphere's resident naysayers). It'll be interesting to see these little pods making their way to mainstream consumers.