About Segway
Press Releases
Segway Teams Up with Participant Productions to Promote “Oil Change” Campaign
Action Campaign Supporting New Warner Bros. Film, Syriana, Features Sweepstakes for Segway® Personal Transporter
Zero-Emissions Segway PT Offers Americans an Oil-Free Transportation Alternative
BEDFORD, N.H. – December 9, 2005 – In conjunction with the release of the critically-acclaimed film Syriana, a political thriller about the global oil industry, Participant Productions and Segway Inc. will give Americans the chance to make an “Oil Change”. The new film Syriana offers a gripping portrayal of the moral, political and financial corruption unleashed by the world's insatiable thirst for oil. Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright and Amanda Peet, Syriana takes audiences inside a global energy system that keeps us warm at night, gets us to work in the morning, and creates devastating potential for conflict and violence.
Today, Participant Productions will launch a national sweepstakes to promote “Oil Change”, a campaign to reduce Americans’ dependency on oil. Now through Dec. 31, 2005, people can log onto www.participate.net/oilchange and register to win an environmentally friendly Segway® Personal Transporter (PT) and make a transportation change for the better.
The Segway PT is a zero-emissions, electric transportation device that gives people the freedom to make their own oil change right now. Since it’s electric, the Segway PT emits no pollution and has the energy efficiency equivalent to 450 miles per gallon. The small change of replacing short auto trips with walking or zero-emissions transportation alternatives can bring about big change. The Segway PT goes 10-24 miles1 on a single battery charge, and is therefore an ideal replacement to short-distance car trips. Using the Segway PT not only saves money, but it saves communities from the pollution caused by fuel emissions and aggravated by auto congestion.
Did you know?
- The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that half of the 900 million automobile trips Americans take each year are of five miles or less and transport only one passenger – trips perfectly suited to the Segway PT.
- Vehicle travel has outpaced population, employment and economic growth and is projected to increase more than 50 percent in the next 15 years2. Alternative energy choices and personal transportation alternatives will be critical to creating a society with more diverse transportation options.
- In 2003, 2.3 billion gallons of fuel were wasted by vehicular congestion3. Short car trips are an inefficient use of fuel and are particularly damaging to the environment, since current auto pollution control devices take several minutes to work effectively. Automobiles idling in traffic waste fuel resources and create stress on engines, contributing disproportionately to environmental pollution. Utilizing sidewalks and multi-use pathways, the Segway PT allows people to bypass traffic congestion and avoid polluting the environment.
The Segway PT is a seriously smart alternative to oil dependency. Bring about an oil change in your life by replacing short car trips with the Segway PT. To learn more about what you can do to reduce oil dependency and to register to win your own Segway PT, go to www.participate.net/oilchange . Must be 18 years old to enter. Visit www.participate.net/oilchange for complete sweepstakes rules.
1. Range varies by model, terrain, riding style and payload
2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “A Technical Review of the Interactions between Land Use, Transportation and Environmental Quality”. January 2001
3. Texas Transportation Institute, 2005 Urban Mobility Report
About Participant Productions
Founded in January 2004 by Ebay pioneer and philanthropist Jeff Skoll and headed by Ricky Strauss, Participant Productions' projects focus on compelling entertainment that highlights important social issues so as to awaken, inspire and empower audiences to make a difference. In addition to Syriana, Participant's films include: 'Good Night, And Good Luck', produced with 2929 Entertainment, directed by George Clooney, and starring Clooney, David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson and Robert Downey, Jr.; 'North Country', directed by Niki Caro (Whalerider) and starring Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand and Sissy Spacek. Participant documentaries include the acclaimed 'Murderball', in partnership with THINKFilm and MTV Films; and the upcoming The World According to Sesame Street.
About Segway
Segway Inc. develops intelligent motion control technology known as Segway® Smart Motion™ that is embedded in the light electric transportation devices it manufactures, such as the well-known Segway® Personal Transporter (PT). Segway Smart Motion provides intelligent motion control that enables a device to monitor its environment, control its motion and make decisions about how it should move.
Segway markets a full line of zero-emissions Segway PTs for sidewalk and cross-terrain use that deliver impressive energy efficiency – equivalent to 450 miles per gallon/191 kilometers per liter of fuel. The company’s line of Segway Robotic Mobility Platforms (RMPs) offers reliable, durable mobility solutions for robotic applications.
Segway Inc., based in Bedford, N.H., U.S.A, has a worldwide distribution network of more than 250 retail points in 61 countries. For additional information about Segway and to find retail locations, please visit www.segway.com or call 1-866-4SEGWAY. Media materials and digital images are available at the Segway Press Center.