How to Buy a Segway Personal Transporter

The Segway Personal Transporter is a two wheeled, battery and gyroscope powered scooter-like alternative to the automobile. The Segway PT is intended for local commuting purposes, the electric scooter has a range of up to 24 miles per charge. Using computers and motors the Segway balances itself and provides extraordinary control. With the rising cost of gas and traffic congestion that is only getting worse, the Segway PT is an example of what will be coming in the future. These vehicles are affordable, safe and environmentally friendly.

To simply call the Segway PT an electric scooter would be making a giant understatement. Unlike a scooter, the Segway is designed to make it virtually impossible to fall off. In other words it's self balancing. Vehicles like this will make the car only necessary for long distances one day.

Things You'll Need

• Money
• Good Credit

Instructions

1. 

   What kind of Segway PT you should get.

   If you are looking to purchase a new Segway PT there are two major model types available: The I2 or the X2.

   The I2 is more suited toward city and suburban usage, like trips to the store or post office. The X2 is more suited toward off road usage and further dis-spells the electric scooter image. They both have a top speed of up to 12 mph or 20 km/h, and their ranges are both 15-25 miles depending on the terrain. Though it has less range than a moped, the Segway has virtually no fuel costs.

   Some of the cool charging features of the Segway include: Recharging from a wall socket, it can recharge by being pushed or running downhill, for every 15 minutes of recharging the Segway PT can travel one mile. These features make it easy to calculate your travel and conserve battery life.

   Just by using the Segway PT you can save hundreds, possibly thousands in fuel costs over the course of a year. Again unlike any scooter or moped, these can go further, cheaper, and safer.

2. 

   Locating a place to try the Segway.

   You can rent a Segway PT, where scooters and mopeds were once rented, for about $25 an hour. Rental shops are located in major cities across the country and Segway's home page can direct you to a local one.

   Another option for Segway PT rental is from the dealership directly. Most Segway dealers will allow you to rent a Segway by the hour, day or week. Leasing is also available if you have a business idea, like a Segway rental shop. Leases come in 24 and 36 month terms. I recommend trying before buying but you're going to end up wanting it more than any moped, scooter or bike.

3. 

   What a Segway PT costs.

   A new Segway can be bought anywhere from the low $5000s, for the basic I2 models, to the high $6000s, for the off-roading X2 models. Considering that a motorcycle, some mopeds or some scooters can cost thousands in gas a year for the same distance, it's not a bad price at all.

   Since their original roll out in 2001, Segways have been extremely popular with government services. Because of these connections tax breaks are available for purchasing the environmentally friendly Segway. You can get more information at the Segway web site(below).

Tips & Warnings

• Buy new because the Segway PT has advanced quite a bit since it's original roll out.

Resources

• Segway PT Web Site
• Other articles by Alcor805
• Alcor805's Blog