If you would like to participate in the development of
this proposal or the evaluation phase of this campus ecology project - or to receive more information:
The world of human transportation
is undergoing a revolution as scientists, engineers, and designers
address urgent concerns over the contributions of automobile emissions
to global climate change and atmospheric pollution. New vehicles
using electric, electric-hybrid, and hydrogen power are being rapidly
tested, developed, and introduced to the market place. These
changes have the potential to revolutionize our urban communities
and fundamentally change the way we work and live in our cities.
Washington
State University has the opportunity to show its leadership
and commitment to this emerging future by evaluating the application
of cutting-edge transportation technology on all our campuses and
in our surrounding cities and communities.
The Segway Human Transporter
(HT) is an electric, self-balancing personal transportation device
that is designed as an alternative to automobiles for trips of short
to moderate length in urban environments by averaging about 5-15 miles
per single charge.
The Segway Proposal by WSU faculty advocates
the purchase of several Segway HT devices for testing on all
WSU campuses as part of a novel interdisciplinary, campus-wide education
initiative.
This low-cost, but high-profile education project
will electrify teaching opportunities in many different academic disciplines
as it encourages students, staff, faculty, administrators, and our
urban communities to participate in an educational dialogue about
the future design and operation of our university campuses and cities
in a way that has seldom ever before been accomplished.
Approach:
WSU faculty propose to purchase 2
Segway HTs and a cost of less than $10,000 for use in a WSU system-wide
educational project. Faculty, students, and staff will be trained
to use the Segway and participate in an evaluation of the merits,
cost savings, environmental impacts, and social consequences of using
light electric vehicles, such as the Segway HT, as part of the WSU
campus vehicle fleet.
Faculty from different disciplines will
be solicited to participate in the project and have their
students evaluate the Segway for a variety of educational studies
and analyses:
Business & Economics - benefit/cost analyses; fleet
management savings
Engineering - technical analysis of design, efficiency,
and performance
Environmental Science - calculations of reduced carbon
emissions and other environmental impacts
Human Health - calculations
of effects on activity levels, health, and well being
Social Science -
evaluations of the integration of light electric vehicles in campus
and urban communities
Urban Ecology & Design - analysis of the
design issues and possibilities surrounding use of light electric
vehicles in existing and potential future campus and community landscapes
Additional
Campus Evaluations:
Administration - utility of the Segway for attending
more distant campus meetings without driving
Campus Police & Parking
Services - practicality of using the Segway in routine campus
patroling rather than police vehicles
Facilities Maintenance - time
and efficiency savings by using electric vehicles during normal
building monitoring and maintenance activities
Benefits & Outcomes:
The Segway Study
at WSU will provide a unique, campus and system-wide educational project
with multiple benefits and outcomes:
Publications in peer-reviewed
education journals and popular sources such as the Chronicle of Higher
Education.
Establishes interest in an ongoing series of energy, transportation,
and environmental studies that extend across campuses.
Creates
a high-profile example of WSU leadership and vision in the appropriate
application of new technology with numerous opportunities for media
events.
At the termination of the study and evaluation period, the
Segways will be given to the Campus Police and Facilities Operations
for continued use to benefit the health, safety, and maintenance of
the WSU campus.
American drivers take about 900 million car trips, drive 1.35 billion miles, and burn about 62 million gallons of gas per day on trips of 5 miles or less.
If just 10% of short car trips were replaced with the Segway HT it would save an estimated 6.2 million gallons of gas daily and 2.26 billion gallons of gas annually in the U.S. alone.
With a footprint smaller than a bike, 33 Segway HT p Series can fit in the parking space of just one SUV.
By expanding the range of short trips and reducing travel time compared to walking, the Segway allows people to visit downtown shops, grocery stores, and libraries, and still carry cargo without using a car.
