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The funny thing about this article is that it cites one of the biggest flops as a sign of success. Dean Kamen might have said, if you live in the future, you w
by codexon 13y ago
The funny thing about this article is that it cites one of the biggest flops as a sign of success.
Dean Kamen might have said, if you live in the future, you won't drive short distances. He built Segway.
- grinich 13y agoHe just got the form factor wrong. Go to China and everyone rides electric scooterbikes for short trips (with payloads too). America is so car-dominated that it's hard for this to catch on. If our cities had 10x the population and fewer parking spots (because space is at a premium), we would be doing the same. In fact, we probably will get there within 20 years. I can't wait for a Tesla ultralight EV or motorcycle. But you'll see this first in Chungking or Mumbai.
- lifeisstillgood 13y agoVery true - it is in fact a blind spot in our culture - I live in a new build town (15 years old) and whilst most amenities are in walking distance there are no dedicated cycle paths, no pedestrian areas. Why the hell did I move here? Bbecause there are no better towns in the south east - it's wrong, everywhere
- codexon 13y agoEveryone rides motorcycles in Asia, but they still don't want to be standing the whole time.
- grinich 13y agoYou know, you're essentially standing when walking... Most of these trips are relatively short, somewhere around 5 to 20 minutes. Nobody is touring on a scooter. The Segway form factor is remarkably maneuverable and space efficient for one person. But it's not $3k better than a bicycle or cheapo electric scooter. People are also familiar with riding bicycles, so there's no learning curve for scooters. It's also hard to do this on a Segway: http://starburst.hackerfriendly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/IMG_1060.jpg http://starburst.hackerfriendly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/...