Photo: carnewschina.com
Inventions are not always what they seem. This is particularly the case when a device or design appears to magically solve all your problems.
From really cheap “electric turbochargers” to a straddling bus, China has had its fair share of products that do not accomplish what they claim to do. Wait, did we mention a straddling bus? Yes, it appears we did, and it is not what is seemed to be.
Last week we wrote about the prototype of a “bus” that could ride on rails instead of tires, and that could just drive over passenger cars so that it saved space at traffic lights. At the time, the makers of the TEB-1 Straddling bus performed a test run on a 300-meter long track, which was built specially for this purpose.
Car News China took advantage of being based in the same country as the famed bus, and went to take a closer look. It is fair to note that the creators of the TEB-1 were suspected of illegally raising money for their creation, which made those at Car News China even more interested in the story, especially in observing the prototype for themselves.
Their inspiration paid off, as they discovered that the famed “straddling bus” could be just an elaborate hoax started by the company to raise money for a product that might never reach its claimed potential.
First of all, it did not have actual rails, but just trenches created in concrete, while the wheels were not all-metal elements, as any train or tram should have, but they had a rubber rolling surface, just like in cars.
The TEB-1 did have a set of smaller wheels that were used to guide the unit through the improvised channel, which was formed as simply as cutting thick lines in concrete shortly after pouring.
Upon inquiry, the company has stated that its initial test was not a road test, but just a verification of their acceleration and braking systems, without commenting the questions regarding the lack of track or the use of wheels and tires.
Last week we wrote about the prototype of a “bus” that could ride on rails instead of tires, and that could just drive over passenger cars so that it saved space at traffic lights. At the time, the makers of the TEB-1 Straddling bus performed a test run on a 300-meter long track, which was built specially for this purpose.
Car News China took advantage of being based in the same country as the famed bus, and went to take a closer look. It is fair to note that the creators of the TEB-1 were suspected of illegally raising money for their creation, which made those at Car News China even more interested in the story, especially in observing the prototype for themselves.
Their inspiration paid off, as they discovered that the famed “straddling bus” could be just an elaborate hoax started by the company to raise money for a product that might never reach its claimed potential.
First of all, it did not have actual rails, but just trenches created in concrete, while the wheels were not all-metal elements, as any train or tram should have, but they had a rubber rolling surface, just like in cars.
The TEB-1 did have a set of smaller wheels that were used to guide the unit through the improvised channel, which was formed as simply as cutting thick lines in concrete shortly after pouring.
Upon inquiry, the company has stated that its initial test was not a road test, but just a verification of their acceleration and braking systems, without commenting the questions regarding the lack of track or the use of wheels and tires.
Google News