7 ms·

Surely eScooters are more comparable to Segway than eBikes. Why are they taking off when Segway didn't?

by s_dev 4y ago

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
q-big 4y ago
> Why are they taking off when Segway didn't? Price. For renting scooters, there comes in addition that the renting price is often subsidized by VC money.
Jtsummers 4y ago
Segway cost $5k early on, which impeded adoption. Then it gained an image as a device for tourists and obese cops (deserved or not, that was the image in the 00s). So even when prices dropped, it wasn't going to be readily adopted by the masses. Electric scooters are electric versions of a thing many people (in the US, not sure about other countries) had used since their childhood. The worst image they carried was that of youthfulness, and maybe the dickish college students who stashed their foldable scooter in the desk next to them. And the cost was much lower much earlier in their life, plus not tied to a single brand or manufacturer. Which is probably one of the reasons that their price was lower (competition is helpful).
michaelt 4y ago
Segways were just plain too expensive - the $5000 price of a Segway is 10-20x the price of modern e-scooters. And that was expensive enough that some people interpreted segway ownership as 'conspicuous consumption', which some people don't like.
- bluGill 4y ago
  They were conspicuous consumption without being high enough price to be a signal of wealth. Most people could see a way to afford a Segway, so it didn't signal weath to anyone else, but they were expensive enough that most people would think twice.
jollyllama 4y ago
The social cost of looking like a dork is higher than the social cost of riding a child's conveyance (razor-style scooter). The childishness of the scooter also makes it less intimidating to people.
shakna 4y ago
eScooters do many things that the Segway didn't: + Have a reasonable price point. Hundreds, versus thousands. + Operates in the wet. Including the very wet, like hail. You can even test it offroad without necessarily needing to use the offroad equipment. + Familiarity. You don't need to learn to ride them, because it was likely you'd already ridden something similar. + It's easy to safely fall, when you inevitably make a mistake. You may not even hit the ground. + You can go a reasonable speed - you're not looking to replace walking, but jogging. + More familiarity. The imagery of riding a scooter is more of playing around and having fun, than dorkyness or awkwardness, because the device looks unfamiliar and like a new experience. Which makes you more likely to try it, at least once. More people trying it "just once" the more no one notices if you pick it up, because it becomes common.
- aidenn0 4y ago
  > Familiarity. You don't need to learn to ride them, because it was likely you'd already ridden something similar. Really? I cannot ride a two-wheeled scooter (electric or otherwise) for the life of me. I make it about 4 feet before falling over. I think my record distance is 10 feet.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    I wouldn't even think of trying to ride one. I didn't grow up riding bikes (narrow country lanes) and still wouldn't think of riding a bike in traffic.
    - aidenn0 4y ago
      For some reason I can ride a bicycle just fine, but the stand-up scooters baffle my sense of balance. I think part of it is the smaller wheels, but that can't be the only thing...
  - shakna 4y ago
    If you're unable to balance on a scooter, then it seems highly likely that the Segway, which operates primarily on a pivot point, would be similarly difficult for you, if not much worse.
dionidium 4y ago
I see a lot of people saying "price" and "they look stupid," and I'm not saying those things are wrong, but it seems pretty obvious to me that size/design was a major factor. Segways are clunky and heavy. Scooters are light and nimble. Products in this space need to be easy to carry up a flight of stairs and they need to be as unobtrusive as possible when dropped in an entryway. The Segway fails both tests.
asdff 4y ago
They are cheap and plentiful. On every street corner for like a dollar a ride plus time. They are also light weight. A segway is huge. It's awkward to ride for first timers compared to an intuitive scooter. Its expensive. There aren't segways on every street corner for rent.

Surely eScooters are more comparable to Segway than eBikes. Why are they taking off when Segway didn't?

by s_dev 4y ago

Surely eScooters are more comparable to Segway than eBikes. Why are they taking off when Segway didn't?

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

q-big 4y ago

> Why are they taking off when Segway didn't? Price. For renting scooters, there comes in addition that the renting price is often subsidized by VC money.

Jtsummers 4y ago

Segway cost $5k early on, which impeded adoption. Then it gained an image as a device for tourists and obese cops (deserved or not, that was the image in the 00s). So even when prices dropped, it wasn't going to be readily adopted by the masses. Electric scooters are electric versions of a thing many people (in the US, not sure about other countries) had used since their childhood. The worst image they carried was that of youthfulness, and maybe the dickish college students who stashed their foldable scooter in the desk next to them. And the cost was much lower much earlier in their life, plus not tied to a single brand or manufacturer. Which is probably one of the reasons that their price was lower (competition is helpful).

michaelt 4y ago

Segways were just plain too expensive - the $5000 price of a Segway is 10-20x the price of modern e-scooters. And that was expensive enough that some people interpreted segway ownership as 'conspicuous consumption', which some people don't like.

bluGill 4y ago
They were conspicuous consumption without being high enough price to be a signal of wealth. Most people could see a way to afford a Segway, so it didn't signal weath to anyone else, but they were expensive enough that most people would think twice.

jollyllama 4y ago

The social cost of looking like a dork is higher than the social cost of riding a child's conveyance (razor-style scooter). The childishness of the scooter also makes it less intimidating to people.

shakna 4y ago

eScooters do many things that the Segway didn't: + Have a reasonable price point. Hundreds, versus thousands. + Operates in the wet. Including the very wet, like hail. You can even test it offroad without necessarily needing to use the offroad equipment. + Familiarity. You don't need to learn to ride them, because it was likely you'd already ridden something similar. + It's easy to safely fall, when you inevitably make a mistake. You may not even hit the ground. + You can go a reasonable speed - you're not looking to replace walking, but jogging. + More familiarity. The imagery of riding a scooter is more of playing around and having fun, than dorkyness or awkwardness, because the device looks unfamiliar and like a new experience. Which makes you more likely to try it, at least once. More people trying it "just once" the more no one notices if you pick it up, because it becomes common.

aidenn0 4y ago
> Familiarity. You don't need to learn to ride them, because it was likely you'd already ridden something similar. Really? I cannot ride a two-wheeled scooter (electric or otherwise) for the life of me. I make it about 4 feet before falling over. I think my record distance is 10 feet.
- ghaff 4y ago
  I wouldn't even think of trying to ride one. I didn't grow up riding bikes (narrow country lanes) and still wouldn't think of riding a bike in traffic.
  - aidenn0 4y ago
    For some reason I can ride a bicycle just fine, but the stand-up scooters baffle my sense of balance. I think part of it is the smaller wheels, but that can't be the only thing...
- shakna 4y ago
  If you're unable to balance on a scooter, then it seems highly likely that the Segway, which operates primarily on a pivot point, would be similarly difficult for you, if not much worse.

dionidium 4y ago

I see a lot of people saying "price" and "they look stupid," and I'm not saying those things are wrong, but it seems pretty obvious to me that size/design was a major factor. Segways are clunky and heavy. Scooters are light and nimble. Products in this space need to be easy to carry up a flight of stairs and they need to be as unobtrusive as possible when dropped in an entryway. The Segway fails both tests.

asdff 4y ago

They are cheap and plentiful. On every street corner for like a dollar a ride plus time. They are also light weight. A segway is huge. It's awkward to ride for first timers compared to an intuitive scooter. Its expensive. There aren't segways on every street corner for rent.