What makes Segway a New Mode of Transportation in India?

“Hindi movies actress Bipasha Basu’s groom Karan Singh Grover arrives on a Segway instead of ghodi”, the headline of one of the online portals compelled me to think, ‘Is Segway a new car brand’? I decided to find more about it online and here’s what I got to know about it.

Known for its zero emission batteries, Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing vehicle that can help a person travel short distance at a maximum speed of 25km/hour. Most commonly, it is used by workers in warehouses.

Even last year, a lady in Sydney ,Australia bought an iPhone without actually standing in the queue. Confused? Even I was when I read it online. Lucy Kelly bought her iPhone without actually standing in the queue as she sent her robot to buy it for her from the store.

She put an iPad onto a Segway-style scooter and controlled it from her home. She set up the machine outside the store at 5 a.m. and this way; she was able to buy herself a new phone without taking a leave from her office. As the iPad was connected through face-time, she also interacted with store officials and paid the payment via Apple-pay app on IOS. “Once payment was made, the Apple staff just put my iPhone in a bag for me and hung it on my microphone,”.

Photo: REUTERS/David Gray

Now here comes Segway’s

So, don’t you think it is a wonderful way of commuting? Just imagine, instead of walking or driving, you slide your way to reaching your destination! Throughout the world, where getting through traffic is tough, people are happily using Segway’s to reach their destinations.

Though Segway is best known for its two-wheeled self-balancing scooter, Segway Inc. has also launched a three-wheeled vehicle to replace the petrol car.

Benefits of Segway

• It provides mobility assistance to people who are unable to walk
• It is a convenient way to move around
• It operates on rechargeable batteries, and therefore, emits zero emissions
• It is very light and portable, which means you can easily move around. Besides this, you don’t have to think about its parking as Segway takes up very little room and you can even bring it indoors
• Segway’s are much cheaper to maintain than cars and bikes

History of Segways

Segway’s history can be traced back to 1999 when Dean Kamen opened a new company in America to develop zero-emission vehicles. The path to success was paved with the opening of a new manufacturing unit in Bed ford, New Hampshire in November 2001. Afterwards, the company registered the name ‘Segway’. It derived its name from the word “segue”, which means “follows.” Finally, the company launched its first product in December 2001 in Bryant Park, New York. Soon the product caught the attention of people worldwide, and the first Segway was sold online. In 2007, the company made its product available in 250 retail points across 60 nations.

How does it work?

Unlike cars, Segways have two wheels. It looks like an ordinary hand truck, but it manages to stay upright by itself. The revolutionary balance-control system of a Segway works in tandem with a pair of electric motors, one powering each wheel. It uses gyroscopes to ensure the perfect balancing. With the help of gyroscopes, a Segway can stand upright by itself for up to 34 hours. Segways also have a smart battery that includes a computer chip to keep a check on the power usage.

Source: lalithvarun.blogspot.in

All Segway models have a built-in user interface to display the user’s speed, battery power and how much distance can be covered before the battery dies. Riders lean forward, backward and to the left and right with the help of a handlebar attached to a pole.

Half Segways Half Robot

Segway, in collaboration with Intel and Chinese products, has unveiled a new vehicle that can work like the hoverboard and turn to a personal robot once the rider hops off it.

Source: futurism.com

Officially known as, “Segway Advanced Personal Robot,” it doesn’t look like a robot when you ride it as most of the robot parts fold away, and its two-wheeled platform looks like any regular Segway. But once the rider hops off it, it becomes a personal robot. It draws its power from Intel’s processors and responds to voice command and stream videos. With the help of Intel’s RealSense ZR300 camera, the robot can clearly see your surroundings and avoid bumping into other objects. It means your robot follows your commands, and you can also connect it with other hardware devices to ensure the surveillance of your home while you are on vacation.

Segways in India

Segways are enjoying their presence in India also but on a smaller scale. Segway Inc. has tied up with Bird Group of Companies, which is a technology provider to the Indian travel sector. Over the last three years, it has sold over 75 units in India. Currently, the international airport in Delhi is using Segways. Besides this, sectors in India, especially hospitality, retail, leisure, and travel have also understood the importance of multifold revenue models that Segway offers to their trade. These self-balancing vehicles are also used in shopping malls. Many people have bought it to use at golf courses. As said by Mr. RonyAbraham, Head Sales, Segway India, “We see a huge potential for Segways in India, and are primarily targeting hotels that are exempted from duties.” The company is adding Segway Personal Transporters GEN II special edition models— Ninebot E and Ninebot to its product portfolio.

Also, the company will be exclusively selling environment-friendly green personal transportation vehicles, like Ninebot products, Bird Board Drifter scooter, Rocket skate and Blink and Acton’s M scooter, in the Indian market.

In India, it is completely legal to use Segways. Even special tours are organized by BirdGroup in Delhi. The rising pollution levels in India have compelled people to take some immediate steps. As Segway emits zero carbon emissions, so, the chances are high that soon Segway will become popular in India, and more people will use it for commuting purposes.  Due to which, Indian insurance companies will also need to bring Segways under the bike insurance ambit as these are also prone to theft and accidents. In countries where Segways are most commonly used, insurance companies cover them under their two-wheeler insurance policies.

Segway promoters want it to be considered as a green vehicle. As said by Mr. Rony Abraham, General Manager, Bird Group, “We have been pitching the Indian government to consider Segway as a green vehicle. There is a tax rebate on green vehicles purchase. We expect the government to look seriously into it”. Green vehicles or electric vehicles are insured like normal vehicles, and therefore, if the government will consider Segways as electric vehicles, there will be a need of buying two-wheeler insurance policies for them also.

Segways have caught the attention of Bollywood also. The ‘King Khan’ of Bollywood, Mr. Shahrukh Khan has bought two Segways.  Throughout the season of the dance show ‘JhalakDikhlaJaa’, we saw one of the judges, Shahid Kapoor roaming around on his stylish Segway. Now guess what? He wasn’t the only celebrity who enjoyed this Segway frenzy. Other Bollywood actors, like Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Ranveer Singh had their amount of fun with these stylish scooters.

India’s Irrway: A distant cousin of Segway

Irrway, a product of Greendzine Technologies, is a revolutionary product for the Indian market. It is a battery-powered personal mobility device, which is both ergonomic and eco-friendly. Last year, this short-distance mobility vehicle was used by Bangalore Police to clear traffic congestion in the city. Its efficiency has not only grabbed the attention of the Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai police, but various townships, hotels, and IT parks are also looking at it with equal zeal and enthusiasm. Irrway is one-step ahead of electric vehicles with the main focus on achieving carbon neutral vehicle.

Some of the smart features of Irrway are:

• It has a speed of 15 Kmph
• It costs between Rs 40,000 and Rs 80,000
• It has a RFID smart tag which ensures only authorized agents can use it
• It immediately goes into a sleep mode if it remains idle for 30 seconds, thereby improving the overall performance
• The foot position sensor activates the system only if the rider is standing in an appropriate position. In case the rider loses the balance, its system automatically shuts down
• It is available in different color options: Lemon Yellow, Pure Red, Milky White, Baby Pink, and Grey

Are we ready for Segways?

Undoubtedly, Segways make travelling ‘green’. However, there is a long way before these vehicles can run on the Indian roads. This technology is not affordable for low-income individuals. Also, there is a lack of awareness as only a few people know about Segway dealerships and its use. As the technology is new, it becomes difficult and costly to repair it in case of any loss or damage. Unlike bikes, where there are abundant of mechanics to fix them, the same benefit is not available with Segways.

Many countries like the United States, UK, and UAE, have banned the use of Segway in their regions. However, with the rising population level across the world, more and more countries are likely to lift the ban on Segway, which is incredibly eco-friendly. Even in India, the government has introduced some prominent measures to curb the rising pollution level. Delhi government’s odd-even scheme is such an initiative. God knows, the next step could be making Segway mandatory in India! Even, Mr. Piyush Goyal, India’s Minister of Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy, has a plan to make India a 100% electric vehicle country by 2030. Meanwhile, with every restriction that’s lifted, the popularity of Segway is only going to rise.Google is also about to launch self driven cars and looking for some engineers and marketers.