Dubai is working on implementing new driverless public transportation that looks like something straight out of The Jetsons — and they could be coming to a city near you.
The so-called "Railpods" look like tiny monorail cars that zip across tracks above the ground. Two different versions of the project are in development by the city's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA): the Floc Duo Rail system, which uses two tracks like a traditional train, and a solar-powered version, which utilizes a bridge that captures solar energy for the pods, according to Super Car Blondie.
The RTA CEO claims that the pod systems will cost just 20% of what a traditional metro system ordinarily costs, in part due to the savings on energy that can be generated by the sun. The railbuses are set to be driverless.
Additionally, it's estimated that between 1,000 and 16,000 passengers can be served by the system each day, according to Ricky Sandhu, the CEO of Urban.MASS, a company that is partnering with the RTA on the project. Sandhu also said that this kind of system could easily be adopted by other cities and that it's particularly suited to metropolitan areas with populations between 200,000 and 10 million (which applies to every major U.S. city).
Dubai's new public transportation system is just one of many futuristic clean energy projects looking to transform the world of transportation.
California-based company Zoox has developed an all-electric driverless taxi car that it plans to launch on the West Coast of the United States. Additionally, numerous companies like Beta Technologies and Joby Aviation are developing "electric vertical take-off and landing" vehicles (eVTOLs) that may be used as taxis and delivery vehicles.
Companies like Ebusco are revolutionizing bus systems with all-electric buses that drastically reduce pollution for public transportation vehicles.
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