http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/segway-bought-by-xiaomi-backed-chinese-transport-startup-ninebot-1496496 Segway bought by Xiaomi-backed Chinese transport startup Ninebot By David Gilbert April 15, 2015
[image http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/377998/steve-woz-wozniak-arrives-wwdc-via-segway.jpg Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak arrives at WWDC via Segway, but even this didn't help the electric vehicle gain popularity (Twitter) ] Segway, the often-mocked personal mobility device, has been sold to Chinese startup Ninebot which has received $80m (£54.3m, €75.5m) in funding from backers including rising smartphone giant Xiaomi. Described by Steve Jobs as being "as big a deal as the PC" the Segway has never lived up to the hype which surround its launch in December 2001. Amazon's Jeff Bezos said cities would be built around it and investor John Doerr said Segway would be the fastest company to reach $1bn in revenue. Over 13 years later and while exact figures are hard to come by, the $100m investment in the research and development of the two-wheeled electric vehicle has unlikely been recouped, with the latest sales figures available suggesting that somewhere around 50,000 units had been sold by 2009. Segway was invented by Dean Kamen, but he sold the company to UK-based CEO Out in 2010, which subsequently sold it to Summit Strategic Investments in 2013. Future products Interestingly, Kamen filed a complaint in 2014 against Ninebot claiming the company - along with other Chinese companies - were infringing patents belonging to Segway in its own personal mobility device - the Ninebot One - which is an electric, self-balancing unicycle. Announcing the deal, Gao Lufeng, Ninebot founder and CEO said the deal will allow the company to "widely apply a series of technologies into its future products, covering electric driving, mobile internet and man-machine interaction." The company said the Segway brand would continue to be used alongside Ninebot. Lufeng added: "This combination creates great opportunities for the development of the short-distance transportation industry. We believe that this alliance will promote the short-distance transportation industry to develop and grow on the intelligent mobile robot platform. The alliance of our well-known brands will provide more convenient and environmentally-friendly travelling solutions for customers." As well as announcing the deal to acquire Segway, Ninebot also announced a $80m round of funding led by Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi, Sequoia Capital and Shunwei Foundation. [© ibtimes.co.uk] http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/segway-finds-some-respect-and-a-buyer-in-china/ Segway Finds Some Respect and a Buyer in China By Paul Mozur April 15, 2015 [image http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2015/04/16/world/16watching-segway/16watching-segway-blog480.jpg Segway has faced competition from a number of companies that produce similar and cheaper vehicles.Credit Dave Hunt/European Pressphoto Agency ] HONG KONG — The Segway scooter, the punch line of countless jokes about overhyped gadgets since its invention more than a decade ago, may get the last laugh: On Wednesday, a Chinese company that makes a similar vehicle said that it planned to buy the scooter’s maker. In an odd turn to the already strange history of the short-distance electric transport vehicle, the Chinese start-up Ninebot said Wednesday it planned to acquire the Segway company as part of a strategic alliance. Ninebot did not disclose terms for the deal but said in the same announcement that it had raised $80 million in its newest fund-raising round from the Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi and the venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, among others. Too speedy for sidewalks, too pokey for roads and too expensive for regular consumers looking for an alternative to walking— with a goofy pogo-stick aesthetic to boot — the self-balancing electric stand-up scooter is a niche product in the United States. It has also been widely mocked in American popular culture as an emblem of sloth. But in China, a country that often embraces novel and niche gadgets, the Segway is taken more seriously, and over the years it has gained cultural cachet. Tourists across China use Segway- like vehicles to visit attractions — groups can circle the track of Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium where Usain Bolt won gold. The Jamaican sprinter has run as fast as 27 miles per hour; the Segway, by comparison, goes about 13 miles per hour. Chinese police and antiterror squads patrol and drill atop electric scooters, the preferred ride in ‘‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop,’’ [ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1114740/ ] often armed with rifles and assault weapons. Stores selling Segway- like products feature in Chinese malls. Perhaps most famously, in the 2013 corruption trial of the former high-ranking party official Bo Xilai, the well- known businessman Xu Ming testified that he had purchased a Segway for Mr. Bo’s son, Bo Guagua. Segway has faced competition from a number of companies that produce similar and cheaper vehicles. In a 2014 trade complaint to the U.S. International Trade Commission, Segway said a number of Chinese companies were violating its patents. In a trade commission document titled ‘‘Certain Personal Transporters, Components Thereof, and Manuals Therefor,’’ several different Chinese companies are named, among them Ninebot, the company that is planning to buy Segway. Though the investigation continues, Ninebot showed itself willing to do a bit of borrowing from Apple with its official slogan: ‘‘Think Differently and Innovate Sustainably.’’ In the release, Ninebot’s chief executive, Gao Lufeng, said, ‘‘We believe that this alliance will promote the short-distance transportation industry to develop and grow on the intelligent mobile robot platform.’’ The statement added that the two companies would continue to sell their respective products under separate brands. Ninebot, founded in 2012, says that its personal transportation robot, the Ninebot E, is distributed at 30 centers around the world. [© 2015 The New York Times] http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/15/segway-bought-by-xiaomi-backed-robotics-startup-ninebot Segway bought by Xiaomi-backed robotics startup Samuel Gibbs 15 April 2015 [image http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/15/segway-bought-by-xiaomi-backed-robotics-startup-ninebot#img-1 Segways have become staples of American movies, shopping centres and law enforcement, but are now owned by a Chinese robotics startup backed by ‘China’s Apple’. Photograph: Charles Sykes/Charles Sykes/Invision/AP ] China-based Ninebot plans to use self-balancing technology to produce new transport systems as Xiaomi continues expanding beyond smartphones American self-balancing transport firm Segway has been bought by a Chinese robotics startup backed by Xiaomi. Beijing-headquartered Ninebot, maker of similar personal transport devices, will maintain Segway as a subsidiary, but will integrate its technology into future products focused on internet-connected electric vehicles with advanced human-machine interfaces. “The alliance of our well-known brands will provide more convenient and environmentally friendly travelling solutions for customers,” said Gao Lufeng, Ninebot founder and chief executive, in a statement. The two-year-old robotics company started out as a crowdfunded project, but now ships products to 38 countries and has manufacturing facilities in China. It sells a self-balancing single-wheel vehicle costing $850 (£577) in the US that can travel up to 35km at up to 22km per hour, and can be tracked and controlled via smartphone, as well as traditional Segway-like scooters. [image] The Ninebot One self-balancing wheel. Photograph: Ninebot Segway accused Ninebot of patent infringement six months ago, after a raft of Chinese competitors to the Segway scooters hit the market, and sought to block the import of rival products into the US. The Segway acquisition follows an $80m funding round involving Xiaomi, Sequoia Capital, Shunwei Foundation and West Summit Capital. Ninebot is one of 27 startups backed by Xiaomi, one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers, dubbed “China’s Apple”. The company recently expanded into the US and EU, selling smartphone accessories, headphones and fitness devices, but has yet to launch a range of smartphones outside of China and a few select developing nations. Xiaomi’s chief executive and founder, Lei Jun, recently described the company as an internet of things firm, saying that his vision is to go beyond smartphones and into an internet-connected product ecosystem. The company recently launched media streaming boxes and a series of smart home products for automating tasks. Jun’s plan is to complement Xiaomi’s own products with those from investments in startups, which have produced various home appliances such as air purifiers. Jun said that Xiaomi, itself the world’s most valuable startup with a valuation of $46bn, would plough money into up to 100 new startups in the near future. [© theguardian.com] http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/transport/largest_Segway_riding_lesson_Kevin_James_breaks_Guinness_World_Records_record_215306.html Largest Segway riding lesson: 2 Guinness World Records [image http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/transport/img/215306_largest_Segway_lesson_Kevin_James.jpg ] ... http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2015/04/paul-blart-mall-cop-2-new-yorks-finest-security-guards-claim-two-guinness-world-records-titles-national-security-guard-day/ April 13, 2015 ... http://www.tv3.ie/entertainment_article.php?locID=1.803.874&article=164555 Kevin James: Mall Cop Segway comes in handy, 'I actually own one' http://www.thelocal.ch/20150415/government-oks-segways-for-swiss-bike-lanes Segways win approval for Swiss bike lanes 15 Apr 2015 Electrically powered vehicles such as Segways and pedal-driven taxis can be legally used on bicycle lanes in Switzerland, starting in June ... http://www.thelocal.ch/userdata/images/article/w468/82af9939d9d8cf24b6fd80ee5a7bf12fa5a526c58a7335dfc402409f763baf96.jpg ... http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=subject%3Aevln+subject%3Asegway+NOT+subject%3Are&days=0&sort=date Read more Segway EVLN posts on evdl For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://www.greentechlead.com/solar/ascent-solar-begins-pv-panel-supply-for-silent-falcon-craft-23072 Ascent Solar supplys solar-wing PVs their Silent Falcon aircraft http://www.compoundsemiconductor.net/article/96824-ascent-solar-supplies-cigs-panels-for-silent-falcon.html http://renewables.seenews.com/news/hanergy-thin-film-finds-2-partners-for-solar-powered-vehicles-472414 Hanergy Thin Film finds 2 partners for solar-powered vehicles ... http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-14/hanergy-s-solar-only-car-goal-draws-doubt-as-quickly-achievable Hanergy’s Solar-Only Car Goal Draws Doubt as Quickly Achievable http://www.dailysabah.com/science/2015/04/13/turkish-team-shines-in-international-design-awards-in-la "Solar Taxi" designed as a 5passenger electric car http://abc7news.com/traffic/free-ev-charging-stations-open-in-sf-through-june-/649157/ 'Driving on Sunshine' SF prgm gives 2hrs free PV-charging until June http://www.slashgear.com/solar-powered-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-launch-in-sf-18379748/ http://www.pressreleaserocket.net/fastest-growing-online-mattress-company-is-dedicated-to-green-living/145922/ Electrified vehicle owners can receive a free Pillow w/ purchase http://www.triplepundit.com/2015/04/fedex-tackles-emissions-ground-air/ FedEx Tackles Emissions> Adds electrified fleet vehicles http://businesstech.co.za/news/general/84685/rich-joburg-suburb-to-install-electric-car-charging-points/ PRABOA's Go-Green funds 4 solar-EVSE in Parkhurst Johannesburg.za + EVLN: Solar-EV drag racing> to break records and misconceived stigmas {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Segway-bought-by-Xiaomi-cn-for-80M-2-Guinness-World-Records-tp4675002.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
