This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation

Post by FrankBooth » Wed, May 30, 2012, 10:46 AM UTC

ricardobeat wrote: post #119

InclinedPlane wrote: post #83

This is a non-starter. This fills the same niche as an electric moped at 6% or less of the cost. And people can drive electric mopeds on city streets legally today . For less than half the price someone could buy a used, low-mileage sedan (such as a Civic, Corolla, or Accent), with a trunk, seating for 5, seatbelts and airbags. And then use the other $8k to pay for gas at $5 a gallon for the next 48,000 miles. Or, th…

There are a few things going for it: - handling is supposed to be better than anything - performance of a bike + safety of a car - higher mileage than electric cars + faster charge You are comparing the launch price of a completely new vehicle to market prices of commodity ones. This could be cheaper than a car in the future, and maybe even safer since it won't roll/tip as easily in an accident.

Post by dandrews » Wed, May 30, 2012, 12:51 PM UTC

sien wrote: post #140

dandrews wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I remember the Segway. I've owned a pair for five years and have 13,000 miles between them. It didn't take over the world, but it fits my use case perfectly .

Why don't you use a bike? I've done that sort of distance on my pushbike. It cost $AU 750 and it kept me fit.

Post by lmm » Wed, May 30, 2012, 1:51 PM UTC

amalag wrote: post #150

learc83 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article says it has 2 gyros. In the test run one wasn't working so they had to test it on just one, and it seemed to work.

I thought it needed both to stay upright, like one on each side that would cancel each other out, my mistake.

Post by tmuir » Wed, May 30, 2012, 2:16 PM UTC

ktizo wrote: post #147

tmuir wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The gyroscope keeps the vehicle from falling over when stopped. Even without regenerative braking, thats pretty necessary complexity when you can't stick your foot out to add a third point of contact.

A lever attached to a hinged stand is all the necessary complexity required to stop it falling over when stopped.

Post by adrianbravo » Wed, May 30, 2012, 4:07 PM UTC

Yxven wrote: post #98

cjensen wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm just as skeptical as you, but... Electric mopeds cannot go on freeways. An electric motorcycle is better for nontrivial distances. On the other hand, an electric moped which cannot travel faster than 20mph also has an advantage: in California it is treated as a bicycle and can travel on bike paths on major bridges. My main complaint: if neither electric motorcycles nor self-balancing motorcycles are currently pop…

Personally, I've always wanted a vehicle with the speed and fuel efficiency approaching a motorcycle and a 5-star crash safety rating. Motorcycles are a death trap, and I refuse to ride one despite their many advantages.