Posted on Tuesday 10 October 2006
We have been given a glimpse of the future of land transport with the news of the Superbus project. Unlike high-speed trains, the Superbus offers the benefits of travelling at speeds of up to 250km/h but with the flexibility of travelling on existing road networks. The creation of Dutch professor Wubbo Ockels, the Superbus’ main use is to travel over special Super Lanes that will run alongside conventional highways while at full speed. The concept images depict a vehicle that seems extremely long, but official specs put the Superbus at a similar length to conventional buses.
An on-board computer system will store information about the track such as bumps in the road or particularly sharp curves in its memory, and will also monitor the surface with forward looking radar and other sensors to anticipate any deterioration in the road. This will allow the vehicle to adjust its speed to suit the condition of the road. Currently the project is still only a design study for a modern public transport solution that utilizes the latest electric or fuel cell propulsion systems. The team has been awarded €10 million from public and private funding but any production version is still years away.
Via Autoblog