Fuelproof Your Summer
The newest way to glide
Why drive, when you can glide?
The two-wheel, self-balancing Segway Personal Transporter was once a plaything of the rich, but now some consumers are looking at Segways as legitimate means of transportation, Segway experts say.
At a time when oil prices have reached record highs, manufacturers boast that a Segway's energy efficiency is equivalent to 450 miles per gallon. A Segway can glide about 42 miles per charge, which costs about 10 cents, company spokeswoman Sarah LaLiberte said.
"The phone has been ringing off the hook," said Bob Palik, owner of Segway of the Lehigh Valley, in Bethlehem. "It's fabulous."
Sales have doubled since last year and there is a two-week waiting list to buy one, he said.
"Some people are real startled about the cost," Palik said about the $5,350 price tag. But a Segway could take the place of a family's second car, he said.
Segways already are in use all over the city. Last year, the Fire Department's special-event response team was got seven Segways. The Police Department started testing them in patrol units this year. I Glide Tours & Rentals also offers tours of Fairmount Park and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Segways.
Segway announced in June that users have glided more than 1 million miles since Segways were available to the public in 2002.
— Nicole Norfleet
The two-wheel, self-balancing Segway Personal Transporter was once a plaything of the rich, but now some consumers are looking at Segways as legitimate means of transportation, Segway experts say.
At a time when oil prices have reached record highs, manufacturers boast that a Segway's energy efficiency is equivalent to 450 miles per gallon. A Segway can glide about 42 miles per charge, which costs about 10 cents, company spokeswoman Sarah LaLiberte said.
"The phone has been ringing off the hook," said Bob Palik, owner of Segway of the Lehigh Valley, in Bethlehem. "It's fabulous."
Sales have doubled since last year and there is a two-week waiting list to buy one, he said.
"Some people are real startled about the cost," Palik said about the $5,350 price tag. But a Segway could take the place of a family's second car, he said.
Segways already are in use all over the city. Last year, the Fire Department's special-event response team was got seven Segways. The Police Department started testing them in patrol units this year. I Glide Tours & Rentals also offers tours of Fairmount Park and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Segways.
Segway announced in June that users have glided more than 1 million miles since Segways were available to the public in 2002.
— Nicole Norfleet
