An American entrepreneur is proposing to bring a two-wheeled, two-seat electric vehicle to the Island to be rented out to tourists.

Robert Territo, who already operates tours on stand-up Segway Personal Transporters (PTs) around Dockyard and St. George's, hopes Bermuda will be used as one of the test markets for the new Segway PUMA, which is still being developed in the States.

The 42-year-old, of Somerset, told The Royal Gazette the plan to introduce the vehicles — which would have a top speed of 35 mph — was a long way off becoming reality but that several restaurants had already expressed interest in becoming "charge stations".

"We may actually be one of the test markets for it; Segway is considering us," said Mr. Territo. "The whole idea is to spur on tourism."

He added: "This all has to go through Government and this is years away. It's nothing that is going to be sprung on anybody soon but we are really sitting down and figuring it out in a really strategic and intelligent manner. None of it is going to happen without working with the Government. We have faith in working with the Government and we feel like this could be another good thing for Bermuda."

The 300 lb PUMA prototype, which runs on a lithium-ion battery and uses balancing technology, was unveiled earlier this month by General Motors Corp. and Segway.

They said it was designed to be a fast, safe, inexpensive and clean alternative to traditional cars and trucks for cities and would be able to cover a 35-mile trip on a single charge, costing about 60 cents, and producing zero emissions.

The vehicles would be able to communicate with one another, potentially regulating the flow of traffic and preventing accidents.

Mr. Territo — who runs Segway Tours Bermuda Ltd. with business partner Ben Fairn — said: "The great thing is the parking — it will park in a scooter bay and a half.

"It will have GPS (global positioning system) and we would do a limited rental. If you rented in Dockyard, you'd only be able to go as far as Horseshoe Bay, for example, or Warwick Long Bay.

"Literally, they wouldn't be able to go where we didn't want them to go. It would turn around and head back."

He said feedback from businesses on the Island was already positive. "Some restaurants are willing to put in plug-in stations and give discounts," said Mr. Territo.

He added that his company had recently brought two new stand-up Segway golf vehicles here and tested them at Port Royal. "They are very much interested in the possibility of using them as a rental," he said. "It has a very limited impact on the fairways and you can do 36 holes on it on a single charge."

The Segway PTs were approved for road use by the Transport Control Department in 2005 but are still only used for guided tours, as opposed to individual transport.

A spokeswoman for Premier and Tourism and Transport Minister Ewart Brown confirmed the PUMA idea was "on his radar" but said he had no comment at this stage.