This Is What the Segway Should Have Been

In 2001, the world was introduced to what may have been the most over hyped invention of all time: the Segway personal transporter. You know, that two-wheeled scooter that only mall cops, tour guides and George Oscar Bluth ever found any use for.

But despite the Segway’s spectacular failure, the idea of a personal transporter (PT) is still going strong. Pasadena-based company URBAN626 has developed its own take on this idea that may finally see PTs go mainstream: the URB-E, a foldable electric scooter that, in the words of Al Roker, is “what the Segway should have been.”

The URB-E

The URB-E is a lightweight personal electric vehicle that’s reminiscent of a scooter—if you can ride a bike, you can ride an URB-E. It’s technically a Class 2 electric bicycle, which means that it can be ridden anywhere you can ride your bike. When not in use, the URB-E folds up, which makes it easy to carry around and saves users the burden of finding a place to park the vehicle and lock it up.

The URB-E was designed for urban commuters, university students, and other travelers who could benefit from some extra horsepower without resorting to a car. Or, as URBAN626’s CTO and Cofounder Sven Etzelsberger puts it: “It doesn’t take a 3,000-pound car to move a 180-pound body.”

There are four models of the URB-E—two Sport editions, and two Pro editions—which weigh 30 and 35 pounds, respectively. The Sport models can hit a maximum speed of 14 mph and offer a range of 16 miles, while the Pro models can hit 18 mph and cover 20 miles of range. In either case, the URB-E has enough speed and juice for most personal commutes during a day.

The URB-E also accommodates an assortment of accessories, including a foldable trailer that can carry a 300-pound payload, a cargo basket that doubles as a shopping cart, a phone mount, and, of course, a cup holder. Another great feature of the URB-E is that its battery can be removed to charge your electronic devices, as it has several USB charging ports (including USB-C).

The price of the Segway was probably one of its main failures: it debuted at around $5,000, making it impractical for most people. The URB-E, in comparison, starts at $899 for the Sport edition and tops out at $1,999 for the Pro GT model. That’s still a pretty penny, but much more affordable for the average consumer.

I got a chance to try out the URB-E at SOLIDWORKS World 2018, and as you may have expected, it’s incredibly fun to ride. It’s easy to use, responsive and quick to accelerate. If I thought I could’ve gotten away with it, I would’ve ridden the URB-E out of SOLIDWORKS World and off into the sunset.