Demand for Segways expected to surge

The Philippine distributor of the popular Segway personal transporter expects a sharp increase in sales for the two-wheeled electric vehicle, given the growing local demand for environmentally friendly modes of transportation.

In a telephone interview, Simply Moving Philippines Inc. president and CEO Wilson Lei said he expects sales of the Segway—first made popular in the United States for traveling short distances over paved surfaces —to double to 200 units in 2014 from as many as 100 units this year.

“The Segway is environment-friendly since it does not use gasoline or oil, so it has no smoke emission,” he said. “These personal transporters can be operated indoor and outdoor in which you will be able to conserve energy and help to reduce pollution as you transport from one place to another in simple way.”

The Segway is an electric transporter developed and manufactured by US-based Segway Inc. The company has a worldwide distribution network of over 250 retail points in 61 countries.

Segway sells several models which are suitable for either indoor, sidewalk, cross-terrain or patrol use. In terms of operating cost efficiency, a Segway vehicle can travel as far as 200 kilometers using the energy equivalent of one liter of gasoline.

Segway models include the entry-level I2 which can travel 38 kilometers with one charge. The X2 is a larger model with off-road tires that can be used for rough roads and beaches. It can travel 19 kilometers with one full charge. The I2’s price starts at P380,000 while the X2 starts at P450,000.

According to SMPI, several Philippine companies are already using the Segway in their day-to-day operations. These include San Miguel Corp., which uses the personal transporter for its warehousing and logistics operations, as well as Nature’s Spring bottled water distributor and the Mind Museum in Taguig City.

Segway units are also used by Ayala Land Inc. for its patrolling and security operations, SMPI said.

It is also popular in the local resort industry like in Misibis Bay Resort, Fairways and Bluewater, Plantation Bay Resort, 7 Stones Boracay Suites and Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club. The transporter can be configured for use on the golf course, company officials said.

Segway units have also been used by organizers of the annual Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and the Manila Auto Show.

On top of distribution services, Lei said SMPI also offers maintenance work for Segway buyers. At present, the personal transporters are imported from the US in a “knocked down” state and assembled in SMPI’s facility.

Lei said SMPI is a member of the Electric Vehicles Association of the Philippines (EVAP) which is the umbrella organization for firms manufacturing and distributing zero-emission vehicles in the country.