Charlottesville Segway dealer hoping for a boom

By McGregor McCance
Media General News Service
Published: August 5, 2008

Don Rich figures his decision to open a local Segway dealership puts him ahead of the curve of a movement toward communities in which residents don’t depend on cars to get around.

The Crozet resident said efforts to encourage the kinds of developments in Charlottesville and Albemarle County designed so people can live, shop and work in the same communities helped convince him that consumers here will buy enough of the two-wheel electric vehicles to support a standalone Segway business.

“The first time I got on that thing and rode around, it was like a giant light bulb coming on,“ Rich said.

But will the bulb come on for enough consumers? Are Segways, introduced in 2001, coming of age and about to become a more common sight?

High gas prices have increased interest in Segways and sales at dealerships nationwide, according to a June report by the Associated Press.

The president of New Hampshire-based Segway Inc. predicted to the AP that his annual sales growth of 40 percent to 50 percent will continue this year.

In February, the company announced a deal with Target that includes the department store buying a fleet of Segways for security patrols at stores nationwide.

In May 2007, Segway Inc. said the number of police and security agencies using the Segway PT model had increased from 150 to 400 in a year’s time.

More dealers, including Rich’s shop, are opening as well.

Segways, however, aren’t cheap.

Rich plans to stock two primary models at his shop, Seg-Ville.

One is designed for urban use, while the second has more rugged wheels and a wider base and can be used off road and on golf courses. Both plug in to regular wall sockets for charging the battery.

Prices start at more than $5,000.

Rich already is taking orders and setting up test rides by request. His new shop will be opened in an under-construction retail center at the Old Trail development in western Albemarle County.

“This is exactly the perfect vehicle to be taking advantage of the new infrastructure the county is planning on for Crozet and is already available for Charlottesville,“ he said.

The Crozet Master Plan approved by county officials includes sidewalk upgrades and extensions, as well as other projects designed to make walking between neighborhoods, shops and buildings such as the new Crozet Library easier.

Rich’s pending shop will be the fourth Virginia store dedicated to selling the machines. Others are located in Richmond, Northern Virginia and Virginia Beach.

In Richmond, the Segway dealer is hoping to generate more interest by offering tours on Segways of the capital city’s historic highlights. Such tours are common in larger cities.

Rich has a similar idea. His plan is to offer “nature tours” on Segways through property at Old Trail, possibly beginning late this month.

Charlottesville police currently have about a dozen officers on bicycles to help patrol areas such as the Downtown Mall. The city police checked, but decided Segways wouldn’t be a better option.

“We looked into the feasibility of Segways, particularly for the [Downtown Mall] patrol officers, and found that they didn’t afford us the speed and turning radius that the bikes currently do if we needed to pursue someone,“ said city spokesman Ric Barrick.

Segways travel at a top speed of 12 1/2 mph.

At the University of Virginia, officials say they want to encourage alternate forms of transportation such as Segways and Vespa motorscooters.

Spokeswoman Carol Wood said the university is studying issues such as where people can drive and park Segways and scooters.

The UVa School of Engineering and Applied Science owns two Segways.

Professor George Cahen said the machines have been great public relations tools with alumni and visitors, and have proven practical in places such as engineering competitions, where they’re used to cover large distances.

“It’s nice to have something to move between our truck and trailer and where the event is,“ he said.

The Segways aren’t used for general campus transportation.

But are they ready for a consumer breakthrough?

“I still think they’re a little expensive,“ Cahen said. “It’s so niche oriented. You don’t have to have a Segway.“

Still, he agrees that a Segway could work well in an expansive development such as Old Trail.

“I’d love to see it take off,“ he said of Rich’s business.

Rich and his wife already use Segways to deliver correspondence to members of the homeowners association in the Western Ridge subdivision in Crozet and the adjacent Stonegate development.

But the family’s introduction to the machines and what planted the seed for the new business was its search for the best transportation for a teen-age son who has cerebral palsy.

Tyler Rich, a rising junior at Western Albemarle High School, was born with the condition, which robbed him of his balance.

He’s used a walker and hiking poles in the past, as well as a wheelchair at times following surgeries. But looking ahead, Tyler said, he didn’t like those options or electric scooters for his college years.

“At college I’m going to need something to get around,“ the 16-year-old said.

After a December trip to an Annapolis, Md., dealer, the family returned home with its first Segway, one that included a lean seat that fits onto the machine, which normally is ridden in a standing position.

Don Rich said his store will also offer products by a company that designs Segway add-ons that help disabled people.

Rich admits some anxiety about starting a business in a poor economy. But he is convinced that Segways could be a solution or at least the foundation for a solid business model.

“I actually feel that the downturn in the economy, along with the increases that we have seen in the cost of gasoline will actually steer more people toward alternative modes of transportation,“ he said.

Daily Progress staff writer Rachana Dixit contributed to this story.