At 10:35 AM 12/12/2008, Schroeppel, Richard wrote:

Only rich nerds. They are fun to ride, but I can't understand the $5K+ price. I assumed Kamen was keeping the price high to make luxury-style profit, but a recent magazine profile presents him as a visionary out to change the world. Can it really cost $2K to make the gadget?

I know more about this than I'm allowed to say here, but the single word answer is "batteries". To a first approximation, the cost of the Segway--or any electric vehicle, for that matter--is primarily in the batteries/energy storage system. This is why the MIT spinoff A123 Systems of Watertown, MA, filed for its IPO in August, 2008, but which is in doubt due to current market conditions. There was speculation that the GM "Volt" was to use their batteries. (Perhaps the "Volt" should be renamed the "Ohm" ?)