A Segway under the tree [Archive]

Casey

12-10-2002, 10:37 AM

quote:December 8, 2002 Sunday STATE EDITION

A Segway under the tree

By AMY ABBOTTSunday News CorrespondentBEDFORD --Dean Kamen and Segway may be household names in the Granite State, but increasingly that's becoming true for other parts of the country where the inventor's Human Transporters are being used by municipal and corporate organizations such as the U.S. Postal Service and Disney Cruise Lines.

Now Segways are available to the public; but who is buying them and for what sort of use?

"It's great for those trips that are too close to drive but too far to walk," said Elizabeth Goza, 31, of Seattle.

Goza is one of the first people to buy a Segway. She was also one of the first winners of the early delivery contest Segway ran since Amazon started selling them Nov. 18. Goza and Michael Osver from Washington, D.C., Ezra Goldman from Naperville, La., Norman Sanders from Jacksonville, Fla., Donna Boden from Kentucky and Duncan Burt from Virginia were the first six to win the early delivery contest.

To qualify for early delivery, customers had to purchase a Segway on Amazon.com and submit an essay about what they like most about the Segway HT. The contest continues through Dec. 16.

At $4,950 a pop, a $495 non-refundable deposit and the cost of traveling to Bedford for training, the price of a Segway isn't incidental for most.

The only place for the public to buy a Segway Human Transporter is on Amazon.com. The only way to receive the vehicle is to attend training directed by Segway.

Remote training locations throughout the United States will be set up in February to handle the first regular shipments in March. For now, Bedford is the only training location.

There will be 30 winners who will receive their Segways before Dec. 25. Each winner must make his way to Bedford and participate in training for a weekend.

"We are the ambassadors as first owners," Goza said.

The process seemed easy enough for Goza, who says Segways will appeal to more than just collectors and wealthy people.

"It's great for my husband and I. We are a one-car household and if I am gone with the car, he's stuck most of the time," Goza said. "For us, it's a fundamental purchase."

Goza has worked at Microsoft as a product manager for five years. Her office is about 15 miles from home. She usually drives, since she says it's some six miles to the nearest bus stop. A bus would then drop her off about 10 miles away and it's another three miles to the second bus stop.

Her husband works for Fallon Advertising, which handled BMW films. His office is about four miles from home and he uses mass transit or car pools.

"We were looking into getting another car but it would run us about $24,000 or even a Vespa (a traditional motorized scooter) but you have to spend money to register those and pay for gas and pay for maintenance. You don't have all that with a Segway," Goza said.

Goza is still working out the snags of getting around the city. Sharing the sidewalk is one problem.

"Once you're on it, you see it's no more than the width of your shoulders," said Goza. "And everyone is driving so there's no one on the sidewalks. Except when you get into downtown and I like to walk around downtown anyhow."

The Segway HT's introduction to the general public comes after efforts by the manufacturer to make sure states and municipalities would allow them on sidewalks.

It seems many cities and states do not allow powered vehicles on their sidewalks. Add to that the concern from some about safety of handicapped and elderly citizens. A year-long debate in San Francisco is still going on.

Cheryl Byrne, a spokesman for Segway, said many states and organizations have embraced the idea.

Thirty-two states have amended their laws to allow Segways on the sidewalk and 11 have yet to act. Seven fairly rural states have no prohibitions on using motorized vehicles on their sidewalks.

"The Segway has exceeded my expectations," Goza said. "I am short. I'm 5-foot-1" and there's always issues for short people. You don't seem to get as far walking," Goza said. "At least now, I can get there more quickly and I don't show up all sweaty and out of breath."

The other snag is where would she put it on the bus?

"I am going to go talk to the bus driver and see what suggestions he has. I don't think it can go on the bike rack and I don't want to take up space in the handicap area," Goza said. "It's easy enough to get it on the bus with the power assist mode which helps you push it up the stairs -- but where it would go then is the question."

Goza first rode a Segway at a Comdex technology convention in Las Vegas last year.

"I just fell in love with it when I hopped on," Goza said.

The model available to the public is the Segway HT i167. Another commercial model with carry compartments on the side handles and cargo racks is available only to municipalities and businesses.

All Segways are assembled at the Bedford plant located at 14 Industrial Park. Workers are currently assembling them to order.

The company is allowed to have 120 people employed at their Bedford plant, according to Bedford town records. There are usually only about 10 to 15 cars parked in the 200-plus parking spaces. There are 11 truck bays, suggesting the place could handle a lot of shipments.

Inside the plant, about a quarter of the floor space is taken up by an agility course used in training. About 80 assembled Segways are roped into a square. Six are set aside with bows on them for the next early winner training class to use.

The rest of the open warehouse is giant boxes and office space along a far wall.

Neither Segway nor Amazon.com would disclose how many units have been made or how many have been sold. Their representatives said it is company policy to not disclose that information.

Segway's mystery has captivated people from around the country.

Norman Sanders, 65, of Jacksonville, Fla., has been following Segway's development for years. In fact, he's an avid follower of Dean Kamen's inventions.

"I am interested in technology and I've heard about Dean Kamen for years," Sanders said. "He's the kind of guy who invents things for a reason."

Despite his interest, Sanders said he did not intend to buy one right away. But his daughter-in-law, Marleen Sanders, beat him to the punch.

"My birthday was coming up and they weren't sure what to get me. I mentioned casually they were selling these things to the public on Amazon and I think they took the hint," Sanders said.