Technology The Segway, an expensive high-tech scooter that has languished for a decade and a half, is reborn in a cheaper form.
The expensive high-tech scooter that has languished for a decade and a half is reborn in a cheaper form.
Ionce took a Segway tour around Angel Island, a beautiful, hilly state park in San Francisco across the water from Sausalito. The Segway, an upright, motorised, self-balancing scooter that first went on sale in 2002, was super-responsive, powerful and, once I’d learnt to trust it, a pleasure to ride.
I immediately wanted one to use back home in Wellington. Then I found out how much they cost – well over $10,000.
About all I saw of Segways for years after that was on the sidelines at Westpac Stadium, where TV cameramen adapted them to keep up with the action during rugby games. They also found a niche with security patrols, scenic tours and at promotional events. However, buyers wanted more affordable electrified ways of zipping around town.
One answer is the hoverboard: effectively two pads for your feet connected to two in-line motorised wheels. Hoverboards cost from $50 to $400 – much less than the Segway’s price today of $14,000-16,000 – but their reputation for quality isn’t great, because the market has been flooded with inferior models.
Now Segway has re-entered the market with cheaper scooter models: the miniLITE, miniPRO and miniPLUS, costing $1000-2000. The miniLITE is aimed at kids and teenagers and can carry riders up to 80kg in weight. That made me slightly overweight for the machine, but I gave it a go anyway, promising myself to take things slowly.
The key to riding a Segway is to have faith in its ability to stabilise itself, which feels counterintuitive when you’re standing upright on a two-wheeled rolling platform. The full-sized Segway that I rode years ago had a graspable control, but the miniLITE’s controller is only knee high.
The first time you step aboard, you need someone or something to hang on to, because it feels as though the scooter could fly out from under you. Then you notice the Segway adjusting for your position. You soon realise it’s very stable. Within 20 minutes of first mounting the miniLITE, I was doing figure-eight loops in my apartment block’s car park, and after an hour, I was zooming down to the flat road at Oriental Bay.
The miniLITE has 10.5-inch wheels, which handle footpaths, smooth roads and wooden boardwalks well. I’ve used it on short, firm grass without problems, although I’d recommend avoiding uneven surfaces, loose dirt or gravel on which the Segway can lose traction and spin, causing a quick dismount.
The two powerful in-wheel hub motors produce a total 700W of power and propel you along at a comfortable pace, allowing tight manoeuvring around obstacles and rapid braking.
You’ll get a maximum range of 18km on a single battery charge, and recharging takes about three hours. Initially, the Segway limits your speed to 10km/h, but after the rider has completed a learning phase, it will do 16km/h.
The miniPRO can carry up to 100kg; the miniPLUS, which has a greater range and a top speed of 20km/h, also has a mode that lets it follow you when you have stepped off it.
An accompanying smartphone app tells Segway riders their speed, distance travelled and the machine’s remaining battery life and controls its lights.
Segways will appeal to anyone from kids wanting a skateboard alternative to commuters with a flattish route to work. You won’t get as much exercise as walking, but you’ll enjoy a smooth, safe and fun ride.
You’ll get a maximum range of 18km on a single battery charge, and recharging takes about three hours.