The Future of Personal Transportation: The Current Now and Wow!

In just one day, I have found a couple amazing transport innovations that have been in the works for years. And with these new technologies, I can say with much zeal, boy is our future bright!

First off, I'm sure everyone has heard of the Segway company at one point or another; the "Segway Personal Transporter (PT)" this company built first came out in 2001, being the first transport system to utilize self-balancing and lean-steer technology. Since then, the second generation of Segway PT came out in 2006, boasting a new turning system, but beyond that, I have heard nothing of the company's future prospects. My uncle had, and still has, the original Segway since it came out in 2001 and, believe me, it was not only super fun, but super easy as well. Once you got the hang of the balancing system (it's as easy as riding a bike), it was a joy to ride and you could take it just about anywhere, on or off road. But, despite the extreme coolness and creativity of this transport, it hasn't really caught on to the public. Nowadays, if you ever see one, it's being ridden by a cop in the mall or tour group in a vacation area. Why? Well, there are many reasons. It was very expensive, heavy, and, in comparison to other forms of transport, slow. On the highest speed, it can travel about 12 mph, which is a really fast run. Furthermore, its carrying space was limited to a small pouch you could attach to the handle bars. A college student like myself would much sooner buy a bike or, if needed, a moped or motorbike. Since then, the Segway company has made many new models, each one having different features for different riders. For example, one model is capable of holding golf clubs for the avid golfer, another has large cargo compartments for carrying medium-sized objects, and another "adventure" model is capable of traveling though rough terrain. None of these current models, though, have much appeal to the normal teen/adult. They are still expensive, large, heavy, and slower than the average bike or moped. Although cool and unique, the Segway Pts will most likely never see much popularity in the general public.

Being the awesome person she is, my mom sent me a link today to a site flaunting the newest cool transport system, the YikeBike. This bicycle-like personal transporter looks like a small, inverted bike; it's hard to describe, so I suggest watching the video on the home page for a better understanding. Although the Segway PT can utilize minute turns, this electric transport system moves and turns like a bike, allowing for quick, veering movement. This vehicle still has problems that the Segway PT has, like no cargo room, expensiveness, and slow speed, but it improves on and adds a lot of unique traits other electric personal transporters don't have. The YikeBike travels at roughly 15 mph (faster than a Segway PT), is more suited for urban life due to its smallness and much lighter weight, and, most importantly, is extremely portable. In a way, its like combining a bike with an electric scooter; the YikeBike has the traits of a bike, but the electric power, lightness, and portability of a scooter (it is folded up and carried in a shoulder bag). Unlike the Segway PT, I can see this style of transport more popular to the public once discovered. It's sleeker, easier to use, and closer to the standard style of transport; it will be less of a change. Of course, the price will have to come down by a couple thousand dollars for it to become truly popular, but I can see people saving up for this unique and compatible style of transport. Weighing in at 10 kg, producing zero carbon emissions, flaunting a battery fully charged in half an hour, and incorporating bright lights, indicators, and anti-skid brakes, the YikeBike is worth every penny of its 4500 dollar price.