Second Gen Segway is Here

About four years ago, the buzz around the Segway scooter was so thick that knowing we aren’t all scooting to work on one of the personalized transports today would have been a shock. But it’s 2006, and the second-generation Segway was just announced, to very little fanfare.

The new i2 and x2 models can hit 12.5 mph and can travel 24 miles before needing to take eight hours for a full recharge. Yep, we figured that to be two hours of travel for eight hours of charging, too. Maybe that’s why it hasn’t caught on quite yet. Plus it can only hold 260 pounds, not good news for heftier Americans, or just-above-average Americans with a backpack or groceries in tow.

One thing the company has fixed is the awkward steering that had even President Bush falling off the older model. Now the steering is more intuitive, the company says, preventing people from falling off too easily. Cost for the base i2 is $4,995. This time the buzz won’t fool us; we won’t expect to see these flooding the streets anytime soon.

[New Generation of Segway Unveiled, CNNMoney.com]