Segway officially ends production of its two-wheeled vehicle
Mall security will never be the same.
So long, partner.
The original Segway -- yes, the one we often see mall security stunting -- will reach the end of the road in July.
The company confirmed the self-balancing scooter's demise on Wednesday with Roadshow and noted the contraption has been mighty durable amid a saturated market; Many of the original machines are still operational years later. Combined with the low turnover, the OG Segway only made up 1.5% of the company's revenue in 2019. So, it was time to wheel the machine away.
"Segway has grown and evolved and is focusing more on consumer products, such as our shared scooter business, Segway Powersports and Segway Robotics," the company said in statement. "This decision was not made lightly, and while the current global pandemic did impact sales and production, it was not a deciding factor in our decision."
Although the Segway was meant to revolutionize mobility when it debuted in 2001, the vehicle's price of $5,000 made it a tough sell. Still, it was an incredibly agile machine that balanced itself and only required minimal motions from the rider to propel the battery-powered scooter of sorts.
While the Segway many of us know will depart the world on July 15, parent company Ninebot, which owns Segway these days after changing hands prior, still plans to create mobility machines. Earlier this year, it showed off the new Segway S-Pod that kind of looks like an egg on wheels and goes up to 24 mph. There's no leaning required like the original Segway since it uses a control knob.
We salute the original Segway. It was perhaps a little ahead of its time.
First published June 23.