Segway sold to British millionaire

Segway has been bought by British millionaire Jimi Heselden, an investor in the company's UK dealership.

Heselden is the chairman of Hesco Bastion, a company that makes 'Concertainer' units for flood and blast protection, as used by the military and humanitarian agencies. Segway, which makes high-tech scooters, made the deal public in a blog post on Thursday, although it said it took place on Christmas Eve last year.

The blog post describes Segway's buyer as "a company that is based in the United Kingdom" and said the company is backed by Heseldon, although it is not clear whether the company referred to is Hesco Bastion.

Coincidentally, the UK government announced a consultation on 5 January into the feasibility of letting electric personal vehicles (EPVs) onto public roads and cycle tracks. Currently, EPVs such as the Segway are only legally driveable in the UK on private land.

Inventor Dean Kamen launched the Segway 'Human Transporter' — previously codenamed Ginger — in 2001, following protracted speculation over the nature of his latest, supposedly revolutionary invention. Once revealed to the world, the Segway failed to spur on the redesign of the world's cities, as Steve Jobs allegedly predicted it would.

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