Dutch superbus eco friendly and 155 MPH

[PA5COR]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/08/dutch-superbus-debut_n_846678.html

The Netherlands has developed an electric "Superbus," an eco-friendly form of public transit that can carry 23 passengers and reach a top speed of 155 miles per hour.
As the BBC is reporting (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13012083), the state-of-the-art vehicle is the brainchild of Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels, who is currently a professor of aerospace sustainable engineering and technology.
Chief designer Antonia Terzi, former chief aerodynamicist of the BMW-Williams Formula 1 team, is quoted (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/08/superbus/) as saying the vehicle, which cost an estimated 13 million euros, will "tackle the challenges of mobility, spatial planning, service detail and environmental demands all in one."
The lengthy carbon fiber and fiberglass vehicle is reportedly (http://www.slashgear.com/eco-friendly-superbus-gets-uae-trial-video-08145139/) set to make its debut at a trade fair in Dubai next month.
Watch video of the Dutch "Superbus" below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS7idJnIbVA&feature=player_embedded

[W5GA]

Very cool, a little pricey though.

[W3MIV]

Parallel parking may prove to be a problem.


;)

[PA5COR]

13 million are the initial development costs carried for the most part by the Government.
If introduced, prices will be lots lower, and the fare price will be just a tad higher as he normal fare for a standard bus, but the time to travel will be lots lower offsetting the little higher price.
Special bus lanes are already in use for decades, public transport is on a whole different level as in the USA.
Just think Amsterdam, 550.000 people on bycicles travel 2 million miles each DAY.

[NQ6U]

I don't know how things are in the Netherlands but there's no way it would be safe to travel at 155 MPH on American highways. The combination of deferred maintenance and the huge percentage of automobiles with morans behind the wheel would preclude that. Dedicated roadways would be required.

[KG4CGC]

What Carl said but I was also wondering who they would hire to pilot the buses. Mario Andretti comes with a price.

[W3MIV]

I don't know how things are in the Netherlands but there's no way it would be safe to travel at 155 MPH on American highways. The combination of deferred maintenance and the huge percentage of automobiles with morans behind the wheel would preclude that. Dedicated roadways would be required.

It would be easy to set aside reserved lanes for such traffic, as is now done for HOVs. My concern is the low occupancy per vehicle; it amounts to little more than a novelty in terms of really moving bodies from one location to another over any distance. Rail still holds the primary advantage despite the higher infrastructure costs.

[PA5COR]

Infrastructure here is dense and well maintained.
Same as German autobahn, where on large stretches paople can drive as fast as their car will go, over 155 MPH.

Then we have the parralel buslanes only for busses, taxi's etc, where these busses can drive.
We also use smaller busses to shuttle people around, these new ones will do the track 2 x for the old ones 1 x. ;)

[ab1ga]

It looks like standing in the aisle while the bus is leaving, hanging from a strap, fishing in your pocket for that last damned quarter, is going to be a bit more difficult....

:-)

[PA5COR]

Seatbelts are not for nothing mandatory ;)

[kb2vxa]

Never mind a CDL with passenger endorsement for this baby, looks like the driver will need a pilot's license.

[WØTKX]

Looks like the Batmobile mated with a stretched limo... to make one hell of a tour bus for a rock band. :lol:

[PA5COR]

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/04/12/superbus.concept.dubai.premiere/index.html?hpt=Sbin

More details: It has adjustable height, rear-wheel steering and a turning circle of roughly 10 meters.

But a production model would be considerably cheaper, Ockels says, costing around €2 million ($2.9 million).