Segway scooter sales rise 11.5 per cent

Sales of the Segway, the stand-on scooter that threatened to be a flop, have risen 11.5 per cent in the first six months of this year, according to the sole British distributor of the device.

By Alastair Jamieson Published: 4:24PM BST 05 Aug 2009

A Segway scooter costs from £4,800 and is recharged by mains electricity Photo: AP
The two-wheeled vehicle was billed as a revolution in short-distance transport when it was launched in 2002 but fell far short of sales targets despite celebrity customers including Dame Helen Mirren, Jackie Chan and the MP Lembit Öpik.
The battery-powered device, which costs from £4,800 and is recharged by mains electricity, looked certain to follow the Sinclair C5 and Betamax video players into technological history – a position cemented when President George Bush was seen falling from one in 2003.

However Wayne Mitchell, manager of Segway UK, said there were now more than 2,000 of the vehicles in use in Britain despite them being prohibited on public roads.
He said: "Sales were up 11.5 per cent in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year and I think more people are seeing them around. We sold 200 last year."
He added that he was "optimistic" the new transport secretary, Lord Adonis, would allow Segways to be used on the road.
"It is a frustrating situation," he said. "Lots of customers use them on the roads and no one has ever been prosecuted for doing so but it does mean Britain has fewer Segways than countries such as the Netherlands, where they are legal."
The Segway, which has a maximum speed of 12.5mph and can travel around 18 miles between charges, was unveiled by New Hampshire entrepreneur Dean Kamen 2001 and went on sale the following year.
He predicted the Segway would revolutionise transport, being "to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy", but against a target of 40,000 a year the device had sold only 23,000 by the end of 2006. There are now thought to be 80,000 in use worldwide, many of them by police forces patrolling pedestrian zones such as parks.
Dr Isidore Margaronis, 58, a shipping consultant, has clocked up 10,000 miles on his Segway getting from his home in west London to work in Piccadilly.
He said: "They are probably less dangerous than bikes because you are upright and therefore more visible to drivers. You are usually slower than cyclists, except when there is a headwind in which case you can overtake them which is very satisfying.
"The battery needs replacing after about three years, and that can cost up to £800, but it can run 18 miles on about 15p of electricity."
A Department for Transport spokesman said the Segway "does not currently meet minimum safety standards for vehicles on UK roads" but could be used on private land such as airports or shopping centres.
A basic Segway costs £4,795 including VAT but extras such as a £75 lock kit, £120 bag and £25 tail-light can add to the cost.