Prius-Segway Challenge

That's funny, I just got my first chance to ride a Segway today. Quite the interesting experience.

Prius also "bests" the Segway if it's too hot, too cold, raining, snowing, sleeting, too dark.... but would be fun to have anyway. I wish they were chaeper, I'd probably be willing to pay ~$1500 or $1800 tops.

 

Nice!

The only times I've seen Segways were when I worked at an airport, and the police officers used them.

 

I'm a bit surprised that it costs nearly a penny a mile. My 4-passenger 4-door Zap Xebra costs about two cents per mile but weighs a lot more. (New figures may be forthcoming when I get it back with the new LiFePO battery pack.)

I once rode on a Zappy3, which I call the poor man's Segway. It has 3 wheels and no balancing mechanism and only costs around $600. But I found it scary as I was constantly in fear of falling, and there's not enough weight on the drive wheel, which therefore has a tendency to spin. I'd like to ride on a Segway, but I have no use for one.

My Xebra gets the kind of attention you describe for the Segway.

 

ok lets add a Zenn to the mix

Range: 25-40 miles depending on OAT
Top Speed: 36 mph
Payload: 550 lbs
Price: $14,00010
Weight: 1290 lbs
Power: about 18 hp ( i think)
Passengers: 2
Turning Circle: not much
Ground clearance: enough
Batteries: lead acid deep cycle...6 of em
Fuel cost/mile: your cost is subjective and an estimate im guessing... my cost is well, lets do performance instead since you dont tell us what you pay for electricity. Zenn does 3.46 miles per kw.

the rest i not sure i understand, so i skipped it.

 

Segway uses power just to stand still.

Another point to score the segway against the Prius is width of doorway it can pass through.

Another, how many countries are they legal in. In Australia Prius 1 Segway 0.
As ther Segway does not comply with vehicle standards it isn't legal to use on public roads or footpaths.

 

Add an outboard inverter ot your Prius and you can charge the Segway while you are hauling it...to that next narrow doorway.

Apparently when GWB got on his dad's Segway, and famously fell over, he did not know the part about turning the gyros on.

 

Put the Segway in power assist mode and it can climb steps

At least on the Gen 1 model, I think the Gen 2 is different.

I've had a Segway since April '03 and while it's a great machine for the intended purpose of using it when it's too far to walk and not far enough to use a car.

Ironic thing is when I lived in NYC and used the Segway all the time it was illegal and I could have been ticketed or had it confiscated.

Now I live in Tucson, AZ and it is completely legal to use but I don't use it anymore cause everythig is too far. No more corner deli, bakery, etc...

 

When it's too far to walk but not far enough to drive the Prius, I prefer my Xebra over a Segway. (Not far enough to drive the Prius means anything less than around 30-odd miles.) And I stay dry in the rain in the Xebra. But of course the Segway is cheaper. But the Xebra goes at or even over the in-city speed limit: it goes 40 mph, and the speed limit is 25 on most Spokane residential streets, and 35 on most Spokane arterial surface streets.

To me the Segway looks like a toy. A fun-looking toy, I admit, but a toy nonetheless. (Though to be fair to the Segway, the Xebra is a bit of a toy as well, and the Segway is probably better built.)

 

Hi All,

I saw a guy on Segway riding around a parking lot once. This was the first time I saw one in person. They move so fluidly, its freaky. The guy was mapping out the parking lot for seal-coating. He had a GPS on the handlebars, and a palm computer. So, he would just hit enter when he reached a the corners of the parking lot which was kind of U shaped, and calculate its area. He had it done in 5 minutes, even though the parking lot was about 100 yards by 75 yards. Pretty neat.

Yea, even here in suburban Chicagoland, the various places I go are too far a range for a Segway. I would need about 25 miles range to do my typical weekend errand loop with sufficient margin (3 or so miles). And this is all in one town only. The Segway has about 15 miles range last I heard.

Its bizarre that the places that need these things the most, outlaw them. Think about the cars off the streets each Segway represents. New York probably saw them as a threat to bus revenues. Although they are not outlawed in Chicago proper. There is a Segway Tours company in downtown Chicago. They take you on a tour of the city, each customer on a Segway -another neat application. Segway started up production based on orders from catalog/online merchandising wearhouse operations. Eddie Bauer et al can get allot more picks done when the wearhouse people are zipping around on segways rather than foot.

 

And you have no trouble lifting that into the Prius?

For me, a Zenn or Zap or other Neighborhood Electric Vehicle would make sense. Most of my trips are within three miles here in town as I either shop locally or visit clients.

One of the big obstacles to such a purchase, however, is the vehicle cost. Even if operation was completely free, with no maintenance, it would take years to break even vs. the operating cost of the Prius.

I suppose the only real solution would be to eliminate one conventional car, my wife's 1995 Volvo, which has cost a bunch for maintenance. Give her the Prius and buy myself a NEV. We usually travel together out of town anyway; it's very rare that we both need to leave town at the same time.

Wonder how I could make that fly...

 

i would love a segway, but only as a toy... i am almost always either at work, or with my son. so a one passenger option would fit very little of my transportation needs.

also, living in Pacific Northwest, it would be parked for most of 6 months every year since i will not do rain.

besides, for the speed and real range of the thing, i have a bicycle that does the job and keeps me breathing as well.

but like i say, if i won the lottery, i might pick up a few just for those nice summer nights to take a ride thru the park or something. (keeping in mind that the many trails we have here, none allow motorized transports of any kind)

 

Also Prius has tons of safety features like Air bags, ABS, VSC and 5-star crash ratings to name a few. Segway has none.....(or its only safety are to make sure you don't go above 12.5mph and not falling down easily?) I'll still put my bet on the Prius instead.

 

When it comes right down to it $5,000 for a 1/2 a scooter is retarded!

I can get a used honda civic for that for christ's sake!

Maybe $1,500.00 MAX better at around $1,000.00. Especially since they are illegal in half the cities you would want to use one!

 

I've driven the off road version of the Segway; the one with the big, knobby tires. What a hoot. I would buy one, but it might eliminate the little bit of exercise I get. Where I live, everything is either in easy walking distance or too far for even an electric car. There isn't much of a happy medium.

Tom

 

Please do not ride these on side walks.

My sister was struck from behind by a bicycle and ended up with a broken leg. Sidewalks should only be for people, not segways or bicycles. That is what bike pathes are for.

 

Actually I imagine New York sees them as a threat to pedestrians. You'd be killed if you tried to use one on the street, and on a crowded sidewalk you could do serious damage.

 

So why are bycicles not outlawed then ? They go faster, and are far less actively safe than a Segway. I can't count on my ten fingers how many times I have been brushed by a bicycle going down a sidewalk or through a red light in excess of 12 mph.

 

A segway on a sidewalk can be operated perfectly safely. Unlike a bicycle which requires a certain amount of speed to be steerable, and in balance. A person can run nearly as fast as the max speed of a segway. When is the last time you saw a person ticketed for running on a sidewalk ? Are we going to outlaw jogging now too ? Lets see, the 6 minute mile - common standard of fitness - is 10 mph, duh.

If somebody came up with a bycycle with very large rotational inertia wheels, then bicycles might be able to go slow enough to stay in balance at walking speeds. But there are other problems with this idea, of course.

Segway restrictions on sidewalks is pure and simple Ludite-ism.