Future transport concepts
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Developed and showcased on the streets of Groningen by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, Superbus is a 15-meter long ... more
Shanghai's 1.2 billion dollar maglev train (magnetic levitation) arrives at Long Yang station after its 430km/h trip from Pudong Airport in Shanghai, ... more
The special V150 French TGV high-speed train is seen after setting a world speed record at 574.8km/h in France's Champagne region at Bezannes, ... more
A wireless electric tram moves on a road embedded with a power strip after its launch ceremony at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, July ... more
A handout photo courtesy of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles shows a Google self-driven car in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 1, 2012. Google's ... more
Daniel Goehring of the AutoNOMOS research team of the Artificial Intelligence Group at the Freie Universitaet (Free University) demonstrates a ... more
Chief Executive of German luxury carmaker BMW Norbert Reithofer poses inside a BMW i8 concept car made with carbon composites during the ... more
Solar Impulse's solar-powered prototype stands after its first successful night flight attempt at Payerne airport, Switzerland, on July 8, 2010. The ... more
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner, owned by Qatar Airways, performs a display flight at the Farnborough Airshow 2012 in southern England, showing off a ... more
Mamoru Mori, Executive Director of National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) and former astronaut, rides Honda Motor Co's new ... more
The Project P.U.M.A., an electric two-seat prototype vehicle with two wheels drives up 18th Street in New York City. The Project P.U.M.A. vehicle ... more
Fujita Health University Professor Eiichi Saito, using an ‘Independent Walk Assist’ robot, walks during a news conference showcasing Toyota Motor ... more
Anusorn Adirekkittikun's eight-year-old son, Korn, climbs on the tricycle his father designed and built to move through water in a flooded ... more
Designer and builder Rick Dobbertin and his wife are seen during a water test in the Dobbertin HydroCar. Dobbertin, of Pennellville in upstate New ... more
The SkySails Beluga ship docks in the port of Guanta in the city of Puerto La Cruz, 320km west of Caracas, Venezuela on February 5, 2008. The ... more
A view of what the Curitiba City Hall called the world's longest articulated bus, as it was presented to the press before going into service on the ... more
A man cleans electric tricycles on display before their launch at Mandaluyong City in Metro Manila April 13, 2011. An initial 20 units of electric ... more
A convoy of vehicles remote controlled by the lead truck drives down a public highway outside Barcelona, Spain. The first SARTRE (SAfe Road TRains ... more
Developed and showcased on the streets of Groningen by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, Superbus is a 15-meter long electrically powered vehicle with individual seating for 23 passengers and eight gull-wing doors per side. It resembles what might be a stretch-Lamborghini. Capable of a 250km/h cruising speed and designed to drive on normal roads, Superbus will have no fixed route with the routes being customized based on the preferred starts and destinations of the passengers, the developers say. (Source: Delft University of Technology)
Shanghai's 1.2 billion dollar maglev train (magnetic levitation) arrives at Long Yang station after its 430km/h trip from Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China. The highest recorded speed of a maglev train is 581km/h, achieved in tests in Japan in 2003. There are presently two commercial maglev trains in operation, the one in Shanghai and one low-speed train in Japan.
Maglev systems use magnets to both levitate and thrust forward the train which rides a short distance above a guideway. The lack of friction between the vehicle and the ‘track’ means that acceleration and deceleration is more efficient, say Maglev supporters, who argues that Maglev trains will move more smoothly and quietly, require less maintenance and suffer less wear and tear than conventional trains with many moving parts like wheels. (Source: Reuters)
The special V150 French TGV high-speed train is seen after setting a world speed record at 574.8km/h in France's Champagne region at Bezannes, eastern France April 3, 2007. High-speed rail is expanding rapidly worldwide as a rapid, secure, and climate-friendly alternative to air and road travel.
According to the Worldwatch Institute, the number of countries using high-speed rail will jump from 14 today to 24 in 2014. Right now the countries making the most use of high-speed rail (ranked by length of track) are China, Japan, Spain, France, and Germany. Turkey, Italy, Portugal, and the U.S. plan to join them with significant systems stretching more than 1,000km while another 15 countries intend to create shorter networks. (Source: Reuters)
A wireless electric tram moves on a road embedded with a power strip after its launch ceremony at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, July 19, 2011. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) manufactured the tram using a new technology called the On-Line Electric Vehicle (OLEV) system which is remotely charged via electromagnetic fields created by electric cables buried beneath the road.
Seoul Grand Park started to run three new wireless electric trams which consume no fossil fuels and do not require any overhead wires or cables. They replaced old diesel-powered carts, local media reported. (Source: Reuters)
A handout photo courtesy of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles shows a Google self-driven car in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 1, 2012. Google's self-driven cars will soon be appearing on Nevada roads after the state's Department of Motor Vehicles approved the nation's first autonomous vehicle license.
The move came after officials rode along on drives on highways, in Carson City neighborhoods and along the famous Las Vegas Strip, the Nevada DMV said in a statement. The Nevada legislature last year authorized self-driven cars for the state's roads, the first such law in the United States. That law went into effect on March 1, 2012. (Source: Reuters/Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles/Handout)
Daniel Goehring of the AutoNOMOS research team of the Artificial Intelligence Group at the Freie Universitaet (Free University) demonstrates a hands-free driving of the research car named 'MadeInGermany' during a test in Berlin, February 28, 2011.
The car, a modified Volkswagen Passat, is controlled by 'BrainDriver' software with a neuroheadset device which interprets electrical signals along the scalp with additional support from latest radar sensing technology and cameras. (Source: Reuters)
Chief Executive of German luxury carmaker BMW Norbert Reithofer poses inside a BMW i8 concept car made with carbon composites during the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt in 2011. BMW is using composite technology in its new range of "i" electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Whole cars made of carbon fibre composites will be available from 2013.
The company says its cars bodywork will be 250-350kg lighter than that of a conventional car of the same size, thereby reducing drag and so improving efficiency and range, thus making e-vehicles more attractive to potential customers. (Source: Reuters)
Solar Impulse's solar-powered prototype stands after its first successful night flight attempt at Payerne airport, Switzerland, on July 8, 2010. The aircraft took off on the morning of July 7 and reached an altitude of 8,700 meters by the end of the day. It then slowly descended to 1,500 meters and flew during the night on the batteries, charged during the day by 12,000 solar cells built into its 64.3 meter-long wings, which power the four electric motors. It landed July 8 at 09.00am for a flight time of 26 hours and nine minutes, setting the longest and highest flight ever made by a solar plane. Solar Impulse is preparing and testing the plane for a planned round-the-world flight in 2014. (Source: Reuters)
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner, owned by Qatar Airways, performs a display flight at the Farnborough Airshow 2012 in southern England, showing off a carbon-composite design its maker says is lighter, more economical to fly and more comfortable than its metal rivals. Lighter planes should result in greater fuel efficiency and therefore fewer carbon emissions per flight. (Source: Reuters)
Mamoru Mori, Executive Director of National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) and former astronaut, rides Honda Motor Co's new UNI-CUB personal mobility device at the museum in Tokyo May 15, 2012. The new device allows the rider to control speed, up to 6km/h, and direction by shifting one's own weight. Honda and the museum will jointly conduct demonstration testing of UNI-CUB from June 2012, Honda said. (Source: Reuters)
The Project P.U.M.A., an electric two-seat prototype vehicle with two wheels drives up 18th Street in New York City. The Project P.U.M.A. vehicle (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) combines technologies from Segway and General Motors and aims to provide personal mobility with zero emissions while reducing congestion in cities. General Motors is also exploring concept vehicles that park themselves and automatically return to the user when summoned from a smartphone application. (Source: Reuters)
Fujita Health University Professor Eiichi Saito, using an ‘Independent Walk Assist’ robot, walks during a news conference showcasing Toyota Motor Corp's new robots aimed at supporting nursing and healthcare efforts in Tokyo in November 2011.
The robot, mounted onto a paralyzed leg, aims to help the knee to bend to facilitate natural walking. The robot is part of the Toyota Partner Robot series and aims for commercialization from 2013, according to the company. (Source: Reuters)
Anusorn Adirekkittikun's eight-year-old son, Korn, climbs on the tricycle his father designed and built to move through water in a flooded neighborhood near Chao Phraya river in central Bangkok October 28, 2011. Rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather associated with climate change mean that many urban residents will, like Adirekkittikun, have to modify the way they get around town. (Source: Reuters)
Designer and builder Rick Dobbertin and his wife are seen during a water test in the Dobbertin HydroCar. Dobbertin, of Pennellville in upstate New York, spent almost nine years and 300,000 dollars building the HydroCar. It has a 762 horsepower engine and travels at speeds up to 160km/h on land and 40-48km/h on water. In water, the car is buoyed by pontoons that, on land, are raised and become its fenders. (Source: Reuters)
The SkySails Beluga ship docks in the port of Guanta in the city of Puerto La Cruz, 320km west of Caracas, Venezuela on February 5, 2008. The 10,000-ton 'MS Beluga SkySails' left Germany on January 22 for Venezuela and its computer-guided kite system was deployed after it reached the trade winds near the Azores. The system resulted in 10 to 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption, which amounts to 1,000 to 1,500 dollars per day savings.
Read more on SkySails here (Source: Reuters)
A view of what the Curitiba City Hall called the world's longest articulated bus, as it was presented to the press before going into service on the Brazilian city's public transportation grid in April 2011. The bus, made in Brazil by Volvo with a Neobus chassis, has a capacity of 250 passengers, is 28 meters long, 2.6 meters wide, and is powered with biodiesel made from soybeans.
Curitiba is famous for its bus rapid transit system which now carries 2.2 million passengers daily and has become an inspiration for similar systems elsewhere featuring dedicated bus lanes. While the city’s population has doubled since the system was introduced, its car traffic has declined by 30 percent. (Source: Reuters)
A man cleans electric tricycles on display before their launch at Mandaluyong City in Metro Manila April 13, 2011. An initial 20 units of electric tricycles were transferred by the Asian Development Bank to the city of Mandaluyong as part of its funded project to introduce energy-efficient transportation alternatives in the Philippines. (Source: Reuters)
A convoy of vehicles remote controlled by the lead truck drives down a public highway outside Barcelona, Spain. The first SARTRE (SAfe Road TRains for the Environment) road train was tested among other road users in May 2012, covering approximately 200km at 85 km/h.
The road train was comprised of three Volvo cars plus one truck automatically driving in convoy behind a lead vehicle driven by a professional driver. All the vehicles were equipped with cameras, radar, laser sensors and wireless communications that enabled them to mimic the lead vehicle's movements, leaving their passengers to relax. (Source: Volvo Car Corporation)
Thinking about a car-free way to work is mandatory if you’re serious about reducing your reliance on automobiles.
If your workplace is far away, public transport is the obvious option, used by the majority of people for decades in most modern cities. If your workplace is close to your home, it’s even easier. Does walking or cycling ring a bell here?
It’s also possible to combine the two: why not bring a folding bike or a scooter on the train with you? Skateboards, waveboards or rollerskates might look a little weird but are an option nonetheless. The ultimate eye-catcher would be so-called ‘7 League Boots’ equipped with springs that allow you to jump great distances – like a kangaroo! (Source: Reuters)
One kid: Child seat on the rear of the bike. Two kids: Another seat on the handlebars. Three kids: Problem! Aside from walking, a car-free transportation of more than two kids is quite a challenge. Bike trailers might be a solution. However, these are easily overlooked by cars and the kids cannot really be seen back there.
A safer option is a so-called ‘bakfiets’, a cargo bike, invented by the Dutch: The loading area is directly attached to the handlebars, and also very spacious (depending on its size, five kids or more can enjoy the ride at the same time). Whichever way you choose, make sure you all wear helmets! (Source: Reuters)
Admittedly, going car-free has its limits especially when it comes to moving your entire household from one place to another. Rumor has it that a guy from Munich, Germany, once moved across the entire city by loading his stuff onto the streetcar, one box after the other, laundry machine, dishwasher and the entire kitchen included!
For the athletes among us, there is an even bigger version of the cargo bike you’re taking your children to kindergarten with. It can even carry a sofa. It’s a serious workout and you save the money and emissions from renting a vehicle. The only prerequisites: no rain and a pair of beefy legs. (Source: Reuters)
There are various ways to go on a car-free vacation. You could take a plane and spend the next two weeks lying on the beach. Joking aside, there are ways to take road trips without your car. Go by bicycle or, in Ireland, you can even explore the countryside by horse-drawn carriage!
For those who want to get around with a little more horse power, the InterRail Global Pass allows you to explore Europe by train. You can choose between one-country-passes or global passes and also determine the time frame. Also look out for regional offers! The German Railways, for example, offer an “Across the Country” pass, which allows you to travel through the whole of Germany for one day. (Source: Reuters)
Once you’re on vacation, a city tour by car or by bus can easily leave you having explored nothing but congested streets, smog, and traffic chaos.
Apart from classic walking tours, there are more comfortable and fun ways to go around town. Many cities around the world offer individual rickshaw tours that provide interesting stories and the latest tourist tips. Or you could go sightseeing with a Segway, as in Washington D.C. If you decide to be a little more active, you could of course always choose a classical cycling tour as well. (Source: Reuters)
If you really, really must use a car, car sharing, or joining a ‘car club’, is a concept that allows you to enjoy the benefits of a car when you really need it, without actually owning one. The idea has been around since the 1970s, but new technology and the internet have made the entire process a lot easier.
You join a car club or car sharing provider, you register online and receive an electronic membership card. If you need a car, you look for the closest car-sharing station, check the availability of a vehicle and reserve the car for a certain time period. You open the car with your membership card and off you go until it’s time to return the car! You pay per trip and don’t have to worry about repairs, insurance, or parking again. (Source: Reuters)
Your grandma’s 90th birthday is around the corner and you really want to go! The problem is that you don’t have a car – and her hometown doesn’t have a train or bus station either. Don’t worry, there may be someone else going the same way!
Car pooling relies on someone driving to a certain destination giving a ride to others going to the same place. Designated drivers and passengers in need of a lift can meet online in communities like karzoo. Passengers may be asked to make a contribution to fuel costs or road tolls. (Source: Reuters)
Grocery shopping without a car is pretty easy isn’t it? Not if you live in remote countryside and have a family of six! A bicycle with a couple of panniers will do for smaller shops but for the weekly shop larger families will need an alternative like car sharing or having their groceries delivered.
Depending on the amount of groceries you order, the service is can even be free of charge. Some services pick up the groceries from any supermarket of your choice. If there is no service for your hometown, you could start an initiative yourself. (Source: Reuters)













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