Anyway, the Superbus Project, the brainchild of a group of Dutch engineers and students, was designed as an adaptive, customized way of mass transit. It's not only the bus that's new, but also everything it requires to operate properly: infrastructure, logistics, schedule.
Capable of traveling at speeds of 250 km/h on its own, dedicated stretch of road (made of relatively cheap concrete, the designers say), the Superbus can seat, as said, 23 people. It is built on an aluminum frame wrapped in carbon fiber and features an innovative, variable ground clearance, which allows it to lower itself to a distance of only 7 cm for better aerodynamics while speeding.
The Superbus uses 750 sensors to detect everything from passengers not wearing their seatbelts to objects on the road. As with
The real crazy part in the whole story is that the developers of the bus really see a future for it. So do we, but some 100 years from now...
"You can get in the vehicle wherever and whenever you need. It will take you to your destination without any changeovers. During the journey, you can get on with your work, or sit back and enjoy the speed and the luxury. This service will be yours for a fare which is comparable to the prices of present day’s public transport,” the group of designers says.
The full specs of the Superbus are listed below.
- Power train - electric motors powered by lithium polymer battery pack and regenerative braking
- Power output - 300 kW, peak at 600 kW for 1 minute
- Driving range - 210 km
- Acceleration - 0-100 km/h 0.1g in comfort mode
- Braking - 250-0 km/h in less than 200m
- Cruising speed - 250 km/h (155 mph)
- Length - 15,000 mm (49.21 ft)
- Width - 2,550 mm (8.20 ft)
- Height - 1,650 mm (5.41 ft)
- Weight - 9,500 kg fully loaded
- Weight distribution - 34/66
- Torsional stiffness - 30000 Nm/deg
- Suspension- air springs and frequency selective dampers system with lifting subframe in aluminum
- Ride height range - 330 mm (70mm to 400mm)
- Chassis frame - carbon fiber
- Bodywork - IXIS Thermoplastic reinforced fiberglass
- Glazing - Lexan Polycarbonate
- Driving mode - driver assisted controlled on existing roads, autopilot on Supertrack
- Equipped with - seat belts, airbags, TV, internet, air-conditioning, heating
- Provided with - navigation system, obstacle detection, communication system, fail safe system and control system
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