| It's a vision straight out of a sci-fi
movie: bubble-shaped, driverless, electrically-powered pods whizzing around
the populated urban landscape, whisking you to wherever your heart desires,
24/7, with a simple mobile phone call.
The RCA has created its
vision of personal public transport |
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It may sound a little far-fetched, but the team behind the Mobilicity
project and the personalised public transport (PPT) concept think it is
not only conceivable, but relatively inexpensive to implement. It would
use our current road structure and much of the technology available today,
and, by axing the driver, could save up to 60 per cent in costs.
The door-to-door service promises a safe, secure, comfortable and emission-free
ride on selected routes in major cities, for those who are sick and tired
of cramming into overcrowded buses and tubes and desire the luxury of
personalised transport. It also caters for wheelchair users, a pressing
issue in our ageing society.
The idea behind the PPT concept is quite simple: during rush hour, or
along busier routes, the small vehicles join up and run in platoons of
up to six units. The tyres then appear like twin axle bogies on trams
as the small wheels pair up visually, one rear axle to the next front
one. In quieter areas, the pods break loose from the platoon and run singularly
or in pairs, driven solely by a battery pack. The vision sees these vehicles
gaining direct access to pedestrian areas and maybe even inside shopping
malls.
These electrically-propelled vehicles will follow magnetic markers on
the road and operate at a maximum speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) on city streets,
accelerating to 72 km/h (45 mph) in special lanes. Furthermore, the system
will be able to utilise existing bus lanes for this purpose.
The pods can carry up to 24 people, but for an extra fee you could even
hire them for exclusive use.
Ironically, much of the technology already available for the modern car
can be adapted for the PPT. Things like intelligent cruise control, lane
departure warning, built-in hazard avoidance braking, low-energy climate
control and advanced satellite navigation systems can be modified to help
create a driverless vehicle. The hybrid-electric system Mobilicity has
in mind – though details of the preferred fuel have not been finalised
– is also already available for the future motor car.
The concept is the brainchild of the London-based post graduate college,
the Royal College of Art, Capoco Design and various transport companies
including Michelin, Pilkington Automotive and the Centre of Automotive
Industry Research.
Vehicle design research associate, Merih Kunur, worked with Capoco to
explore key city transport issues in three major cities: London, Hong
Kong and Istanbul. In fact, it was the concept behind Istanbul's Dalmus
taxis that sparked off the PPT idea.
Dalmus taxis operate as micro buses, each with their own designated destination
flashing at the front. Anyone who is heading that way can simply flag
down the taxi and jump in at any interval during the journey, with the
occupants somehow sorting the fare out between them. It is a safe and
easy system, as well as a warm and friendly way to travel. Judging by
the number of cities that have a similar system in operation, it is also
a successful one.
Kunur, who was also on the design team for the PPT, sees the concept creating
a similar environment to the Dalmus. He reveals that if the project were
to go ahead, the window graphics would stay the same as the prototype,
although the overall body shape would probably become more rounded. It
would seem visually low and small, so as to be less obtrusive, but would
actually be tall so that the occupants have the choice of standing or
sitting; a bit like a bus.
Most importantly, a curved glass roof structure (possibly made by Pilkington)
would allow passengers to engage with their surroundings even when seated.
This way they won't have to constantly get up to see where they are heading.
There would also be a substantial luggage area for those carrying shopping,
or to house a pushchair or a wheelchair. The pod, he thinks, would probably
be made out of a light material like aluminium, though this is not yet
confirmed.
The team is aiming at getting the system up and running in London for
the 2012 Olympics, with other metropolitan areas to follow, that is, if
it gets the backing it needs from either a savvy private investor or the
government.
"The project could become reality in short order if we can find a
sponsor from the commercial sector or a public transport operator with
the vision to see how a relatively small investment could lead to the
transformation of the centres of some of our greatest cities," says
Alan Ponsford, director of Capoco Design who sponsored the RCA project.
The concept isn't completely barmy, either. Toyota, for instance, showcased
a similar idea at the World Expo in Japan earlier this year.
The Mobilicity team thinks people would use the new system because it
offers a mode of travel combining the convenience of the personal car
with the lower-cost advantages of public transport. The team see an urban
landscape boasting clean air and unclogged roads with fleets of PPT pods
travelling in silence, delivering happy citizens. The vision is near perfect;
let’s just hope there are the visionaries to back it.
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