Segway Charging: ~$0.04 for full charge

[SegwayUtah]

A good friend of mine has a watt meter, and has been researching the wattage used while a Segway is charging.

I plugged in my HT tonight at his home for 3 hours. In 3 hours, it got back about 33% of its charge (it was 70% empty when I got there).

Total cost for 33% of a charge:
$0.01

I was really amazed. It only used about 0.14 kilowatt-hours to recover, at $0.07/killowatt-hour. That's $0.01. A full charge would have easily cost less than $0.04.

$0.04 a day for a full charge times 365.25 days a year:
$14.61

This means that it is costing me less than $15 a year in energy to run my Segway. In other words, I spend five to tens _times_ more money just for oil changes in a car.

Wow.

Chris

P.S.

You guys in California may have a higher killowatt-hour rate. I'm guessing that the "less than $0.10 a charge" that Segway markets is typical of their "underpromise, overdeliver" efforts.

also, it appears that the Segway uses about a penny of energy a day keeping batteries conditioned in "always plugged in" mode.

[beckpm]

A fair costing of energy cost would have to include the amortization of the battery packs IMHO. For example, if the batteries only lasted one year the annual cost would be something like $614.61. If they lasted two years the annual cost would be something like $314.61. The battery packs not only cost money and are consumed, their manufacture and disposal have an impact on the environment. Having said the above, I still believe that the energy cost for my HT is indeed reasonable and the impact on the environment is very minimal compared to other methods of transportation
- BUT THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH - THERE IS NEVER A FREE LUNCH! -

Peter Beck
Arlington, Virginia

[BruceWright]

Hey,

That reminds me. I'm hungry.

-Bruce Wright

Segway: Vehicle of Dream

[SegwayUtah]

Peter,

True, true. I usually figure that the batteries and tires need to be replaced every 450 full cycles. This is much like how I have to replace the tires on my car about every 450 days, and about the same cost. And to get good tires on my car, I spend about the same amount of money as getting a new set of batteries and tires on the HT. I'm talking really good tires here, like how the Segway HT has really good tires.

It's always important to figure the "true cost" of things. My point was that compared to the price of gas, the energy for the HT is _really_ inexpensive. Compared to the price of new tires for a car, the price of a new set of batteries and tires on a Segway is comparable.

Chris

[Mr_Laurenzano]

My Van cost me 2500.00 dollars this year to run 75% of the places I can go on my segway. I see this as a great non-impacting wallet buster. By Feb of next year I will purchace new batteries and tires with the money I save from NOT BUYING GAS ~~ Translation FREE LUNCH. I think I'll have steak. Not hotdogs.

peace is a oneway street, with no crossroads and no deadends

[SegwayUtah]

Also,

Those of us who are using 450 full cycles in 450 days are generally those of us who have replaced a ton of car trips with the HT, at which point the cost savings are even bigger.

For those people who only run their HT down half-way on average during a day, the batteries and tires will probably last two years or more without a change.

Chris

[beckpm]

Now since we are all replacing at least some of our "car accident exposure time" by making trips on our HTs, maybe our auto insurance underwriters should give us a discount on our car insurance! There should be a question on the insurance application (like the one for theft alarms) that causes a discount to kick in. The discount should be a big one because statistics show that lots of accidents take place within 7 miles of home.

Peter Beck
Arlington, Virginia

[ElectraGlide]

quote:Originally posted by beckpm

THERE IS NEVER A FREE LUNCH! -[/size=3]


I was gliding by an outdoor cafe weeks ago and stopped to talk as some diners and staff posed questions . They caught me gliding by a few days later and stopped me again to say hello, and told me they owed me a free lunch for the prior demos . So, once in awhile there IS a free lunch..... with dessert.

Steve

[beckpm]

quote:Originally posted by ElectraGlide

quote:Originally posted by beckpm

THERE IS NEVER A FREE LUNCH! -


I was gliding by an outdoor cafe weeks ago and stopped to talk as some diners and staff posed questions . They caught me gliding by a few days later and stopped me again to say hello, and told me they owed me a free lunch for the prior demos . So, once in awhile there IS a free lunch..... with dessert.

Steve


Steve,
I stand corrected: The Segway breaks so many "universal rules and laws" why can't it also prove the "no free lunch" law wrong also!

Peter Beck
Arlington, Virginia