The Last Mile

If you are reading this blog, you probably have an interest in battery-powered mobility and its advantages over more traditional vehicles. Some people are interested in the efficient use of natural resources, while others are passionate about relative emissions. There is no shortage of opinions, that is for sure.

We like electric for a lot of reasons. The right electric motor can give you excellent control at low speeds, and provide the torque required to keep a rider balanced, when needed. Performance advantages aside, the environmental benefits of electric seem obvious, but can be hard to quantify.

During the last year I worked with one of our engineers, John David Heinzmann, to quantify the increased efficiency and reduced emissions one might realize by replacing a single-passenger car journey with a Segway PT. JD has been with Segway since the beginning, and is one of our resident battery gurus. Together we wrote a white paper that covers both efficiency and emissions, which can be found here:

This was a fun, albeit sometimes tedious project. First we looked at the fairest way to make comparisons (we go back to the source fuel), and then we crunched the numbers. If this is a topic of interest to you, we invite you to read it and let us know what you think. I won’t spoil the ending, but the Segway PT fares pretty well…

- Michael

Tomorrow the 10 MPH folks begin their Summer Theatrical Tour in Seattle – the same place where the original cross-country glide started in 2004. 10 MPH is a feature-length independent documentary that follows two aspiring filmmakers (Josh, Hunter and their entourage) on a 100-day journey across the U.S. on a Segway PT. Now the guys hit the road again, this time on a month-long theatrical tour to show the movie on the big screen in cities across the country. Check out the list of cities, theaters and screening times to see if they are coming to a theater near you.

Segway and its local authorized dealers are supporting the screenings in five cities with freebies and extra activities:

Denver - Aug. 9th @ 7:15 p.m.

• First 50 ticket holders to arrive at the theater receive a free 10 MPH DVD compliments of Segway Inc.

• Join producers Josh Caldwell and Hunter Weeks at a Meet the Movie Makers event immediately after the screening at Forest Room 5. Free Segway PT demonstrations.

St. Louis – Aug. 11 @ 3 p.m.

• First 50 ticket holders to arrive at the theater receive a free 10 MPH DVD compliments of Segway of St. Louis

• Meet the Movie Makers event at Segway of St. Louis immediately following the screening. Free Segway PT demonstrations, snacks and beverages compliments of Segway of St. Louis.

Chicago – Aug. 12 @ 2 p.m.

• First 50 ticket holders to arrive at the theater receive a free 10 MPH DVD compliments of Segway Experience of Chicago

Washington, D.C. – Aug. 21-22 More information coming soon…
Wilmington, N.C. – Aug. 23-24 More information coming soon…

San Antonio, Texas - *New addition to tour. More information coming soon…

• Pre-show Segway PT demonstrations

• First 50 ticket holders to arrive at the theater receive a free 10 MPH DVD compliments of Alamo Segway

• Post-show Meet the Movie Makers event at the Iron Cactus. 50% off all desserts

If you haven’t yet, visit 10 MPH to share “your thing” on their blog and enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win cool loot like a Segway i2, Fender guitar, Chipotle burritos, IZZE packs (yum!) and free 10 MPH DVDs.

We look forward to hearing your reviews of the movie!

-Carla

One of the best indicators of the growing demand for green transportation is changing strategies of the big auto makers.

What caught my eye is how General Motors is taking its plug-in hybrid to Congress in order to pass a more feasible fuel mandate. According to this post, Troy Clarke, the GM head of North American operations, explained why GM believes the long-term answer to energy independence is through biofuels and the electrification of the automobile, rather than spending tens of billions of dollars to meet four percent annual corporate average fuel efficiency. Nice!

On GM’s Fastlane Blog, they mention how most people drive less than 40 miles a day, meaning that if one day these people drove a Chevy Volt (currently just a concept) they would never have to buy gas at all. We’ve also found that according to EPA estimates, Americans take 900 million car journeys every day, half of these trips are less than five miles long with solo drivers. I also think it’s safe to say that for most of us, our driving consists of commuting to and from work, which for me, is less than 20 miles. What about about you? Do you drive less than 40 miles/64 km a day?

Fuel bills aside, another interesting report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council explains how the next generation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) can help reduce global warming and slash oil dependency. But you already knew that right? Read on and it talks about how researchers at the Dept of Energy are studying materials that would reduce Li ion battery sensitivity to abuse conditions and extend battery life.

This is all promising news in the world of Segway PTs. For those of you who are interested in learning more about how we’re helping Segway PT owners off-setting the use of electric power with renewable energy sources see our site.

- Luis

Recently we added some video to our site, but you may not have noticed.

Below are some easy ways to watch the piece (3 parts), which is about community policing and the Segway PT in Bridgeport, Conn.

Enjoy!

I was in Amsterdam recently for my full indoctrination to the bike culture. If you’ve been before, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, just take a look at this bank of bikes outside of Centraal Station:

People in Amsterdam use bikes as THE way to get around. Rain or shine, kids or not, heavy cargo or light gear, they still take a bike to get where they need to go.

Having now experienced all this, I’m paying more particular attention to the bike share programs that seem to be sprouting up.

Basically the way it works is bikes are offered for a small membership fee and then are scattered at stations about a city. Take one when you need one. Return it in good shape for the next user. Pretty simple stuff.

New York City this week is getting a small taste of how the program might work with 20 bikes being available. From AP:

In Stockholm, Sweden, there are 1,000 bikes and 80 pick-up and drop-off stations for a population of 800,000. In Lyon, France, there are 3,000 bikes and 350 stations. Paris’ bike-sharing system is scheduled to start July 15 with 10,000 bikes and 750 stations.

From The New York Times:

New York City officials, who are aware of Mr. Haskell’s goals, are trying to determine if a ride-share program would work. “We are studying it with interest,” said Molly Gordy, a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Transportation. “The big questions for us are how to combat theft and vandalism, which are two problems prevalent in New York.”

Back in Amsterdam, they lock down their bikes at least once with one of these huge locks. Sometimes there’s also a C-clamp-type lock they secure the other wheel with as well.

Has anyone participated in a bike share program yet? If you commute in Manhattan, would you consider a program like this as an alternative way to get around?

Oh yeah, I spotted a couple of these fine i180s in the ticket center at Centraal Station on my way out to Schipol. Thought you’d like to see.

-Eric

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Updated 7-26-07: Centraal Station name fix.  Thanks, Florin!