Pod Cars: Climate Solution or Pipe Dream?
More Convenient for Travelers, Less Need for Extra Shuttles on the Road
by Amy Westervelt - Dec 22nd, 2009
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In Malmo, Sweden, just over the water from the Copenhagen climate talks, international transportation experts were discussing another aspect of climate change — sustainable transportation. More specifically, the third annual Transport and Climate Change conference focused on personal rapid transit (PRT).
Sometimes called “pod cars,” PRT refers to a transportation network of small shuttles that carry five to six people and run on either an elevated electrical track or are suspended from a wire like a gondola.
The first PRT system in the world is set to be unveiled to the public at London’s Heathrow airport this spring after years of testing. Shortly thereafter, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi will unveil phase one of its PRT system, which will be a primary mode of transportation in the city.
While it sounds pretty high-tech and futuristic, PRT is relatively straightforward: Stations are placed throughout a network area, and at each station, people can catch pod cars to any destination within the network. So, in an airport setting, for example, a traveler could get in at one of the terminals and opt to go straight to long-term parking, the rental car counter, the nearest subway station or a hotel.
The idea of PRT has been kicking around for years no but has yet to really take off because, as Hans Larsen, acting director for the Department of Transportation in San Jose, Calif., puts it, “no one has ever done it, and government agencies tend to be pretty risk-averse.”
As some of the first projects begin to come online next year, though, Larsen thinks there will be more interest in PRT and more companies jumping into the space.
Aside from the fact that it has not been tested in a real-world setting, PRT has been slow to catch on because of concerns over the visual impact it could have on cities. The pod cars themselves are typically fairly sleek and futuristic, which some people love and others don’t, but the primary aesthetic concern is the track they need to run on. Whether they’re on an elevated railway or a suspension wire, they won’t exactly be subtle additions to cities. 
Then again, neither are roads, light rail tracks or trains.
If the visual barrier can be overcome, PRT could be a very viable option for cities eager to reduce their carbon footprint. They're electric and light, making them about 70 percent more energy-efficient than cars, according to Advanced Transport Systems, whose ULTra pod cars will be used at Heathrow.
In San Jose, the city is planning to use PRT to connect its airport to nearby transit hubs.
“The airport already has a shuttle that goes around it, and the local light rail has its shuttle going to and from the airport, and the airport hotels all have shuttles, as do all of the rental car agencies,” Larsen points out, adding that the light rail shuttle alone costs the local transit authority about a million dollars a year to operate.
By replacing all of these shuttles with one PRT system that serves them all and — here’s an important bit for cities — is partially funded by them all, Larsen says, not only are emissions reduced, but each company or organization’s operational costs go down as well.
Above and beyond their ability to streamline transit options, PRT systems are generally less expensive for cities to build and operate, according to Larsen. They require lighter infrastructure than other modes, such as light rail, trains or automobiles, and they don’t require drivers, which cuts down on operational costs.
In a report released earlier this year, WSP Group Sweden AB compared three transit types — PRT, light rail and city bus — and determined that city buses, at least in Sweden, were still the cheapest, but pod cars were far cheaper than light rail. The capital and operating costs for a five-mile trip averaged out to 1.8 euros by bus, 3.7 euros by pod car and 10.2 euros by light rail.
It sounds promising, which is why San Jose has allocated $4 million to kick off its airport PRT project. Larsen hopes that if the airport project goes well (it is expected to be operational by 2015), San Jose will opt to build PRT systems in other pars of the city as well.
“We have these wide roadways, so we’re looking at narrowing our roads, which would leave a big land resource that ... could create corridors for pod car infrastructure pretty easily,” he says. “There is new development happening around these areas, and we’re really focusing on increasing density so that the city grows more sustainably, so there is really an opportunity there. If we embrace the technology and find it works, we can integrate it into a lot of redevelopment plans.”
While there aren’t a large number of U.S. companies currently working on PRT, there are plenty of companies in other countries with the technical capabilities to build a PRT system.
“We put out a request for interest and heard from seventeen different companies that were all interested in working with us and had the capabilities we were looking for,” Larsen says.
“We were quite pleased. It gave us a good idea of where the world is in terms of developing this technology and we felt confident after that that this technology is developed enough to be ready for real-world deployment.”
Larsen added that he hopes more local companies will get in on PRT as more projects come online in the next two years. There was talk at the Swedish conference of holding next year’s Transport and Climate Change conference in San Jose, and Larsen hopes that bringing the conference to his city could help engage Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and innovators.
Aside from San Jose, Ithaca, N.Y., Sweden, India, Mexico and Brazil all are exploring PRT projects, and there was a great deal of talk about using PRT to connect stations that are part of California’s high-speed rail project to local transit hubs. A joint project between Sweden and South Korea is planned to open in a Korean national park in 2013 to remove cars from the park and connect visitors to local transit and parking garages.
“As Heathrow and Masdar come online and people can go out and see it, there’s an expectation that this could take off and skyrocket,” Larsen says.
So far, that still seems like a long way off, but in a month filled with posturing and bickering, it’s encouraging to hear about countries working together on a potential climate change solution, however small and idealistic.
See also:
Latin American Cities Reinvent Mass Transit
US Cities Get Creative With Mass Transit
High-Speed Rail Study Shows US Potential, but Where's the Funding?
Europe's Cities Show How to Lower Emissions While Raising Living Standards
Amy Westervelt is the managing editor of Earth Island Journal and writes about clean tech and environmental policy for a variety of print and web publications including Earth2Tech, Consumers Digest, and Sustainable Industries. She recently co-authored a report on sustainable cities for the Living Cities Foundation.
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More infomation can be found here.
IF WORLD WAITS THEN SEA WILL NOT WAIT TO SUNK WHOLE WORLD...
INNOVATIVE IDEAS:-
1) START TO PUT BIGGEST IRON BEAMS AND PUSH IT IN TO THE SEA, DEEP DOWN,TILL IT REACHES UP TO SEA LAND.
2) THE BEAMS, SHOULD BE VERY WIDE, VERY STRONG AND WITH ONLY ONE BIG HOLE IN MIDDLE, WITH AN EQUIPEMENT OR MACHINE LIKE WHICH CAN SUCK THE WATER FROM THE SEA.
3) THEN FIX ANOTHER BEAMS WITHOUT ANY HOLES ON IT, ON THE TOP OF THE 1ST BEAM WHICH WAS HAVING ONE HOLE, SO ONLY ONE BEAM AT BOTTOM, MUST HAVE A BIG HOLE WITH A MACHINE WHICH SUCKS WATER FROM THE SEA FROM DOWN.(WITH A SETUP TO CLOSE IT AS AND WHEN REQUIRED)
4) THEN INCEASE AND RISE THAT BEAMS 1 BY 1 AND KEEP IT ON 1 BY 1 WHILE FIXING IT , WITHIN THE SEA, UNDERWATER , AND REACH UP TO SEA LEVEL, THEN AGAIN FIX MORE BEAMS ABOVE THE SEA LEVEL AND REACH UP TO GOOD AND BIGGEST HEIGHTS. WHEN YOU REACH UP TO VERY BIG AND VERY LARGE AND VERY WIDELY, UP TO BIG HEIGHTS, THEN YOU HAVE TO START SUCKING THE WATER FROM SEA AT BOTTOM, SO WATER OF THE SEA CAN REACH UP TO THE HIGHEST HEIGHTS TO MAKE FULL THOSE BEAMS.
SO, ONE BEAM ABOVE THE SEA LEVEL UP TO VERY BIG HEIGHTS AND VERY WIDE, WILL STORE THE WATER OF THE SEA, AND SO IT WILL REDUCE THE GOOD AMOUNT OF SEA WATER, AS IT HAS GONE UP TO VERY BIG HEIGHTS AND KEPT UNDER A RESERVIORE. (THAT IRON BEAM WILL BE NOW CALLED AS A BIG RESERVIORE FOR SEA WATER STORAGE)
5) LIKE WISE, MAKE AS MANY BEAMS, AS EACH COUNTRIES CAN MAKE AT THEIR COASTAL AREAS, AND DRY LAND AREAS, AND SEA LAND AREAS.
6) SO, THE WATER WILL BE STORED UP TO VERY BIG HEIGHTS, WHICH WILL REDUCE THE SEA WATER LEVEL UP TO NORMAL AND THEN IT MAY STARTS TO REDUCE.
7) WHEN, SEA WATER LEVEL STARTS TO REDUCE, THEN MAKE MORE RESERVIORE LIKE THAT IN WHOLE WORLD. IT MAY BE IN DRY LAND AREA OR ALSO IN SEA WATER LAND AREA.
ULTIMATELY, WORLDS WATER WILL BE SUCKED OFF BY BIGGEST RESERVIORES, AND MANY IN THOUSANDS OR LACS OF RESERVIORES, IN WHOLE WORLD. SO, NOW ALL SEA LAND WILL START TO BECOME DRY, AND SO START TO CONSTRUCT BIGGEST AND WIDEST HIGHWAYS, WHICH WILL INCREASE WORLD’S ECONOMY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCE DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT LESS USAGES OF PLANE FOR TRANSPORTATION, AS FROM INDIA TO SAUDI AREBIA, AND FROM SAUDI TO AFRICA AND FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA AND FROM AMERICA TO INDIA , EVERY PLACE THE HIGH WAYS WILL BE CONNECTED.
8) NOW, QUESTION WILL COME OF WHERE THOSE LIVING BEINGS OF SEA WILL GO, IT WILL GO INTO THE BIGGEST AND WIDEST RESERVIORES FOR THE TIME BEING. IN THIS MEAN TIME ALSO, WORLD HAS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SEA FOODS, SALT AND SWEET WATER AND THEY ARE TO BE DIFFENCIATED FROM THE SEA WATERS, FROM THOSE RESERVIORES. AND ALSO WORLD HAS TO MAKE FAST BIG OR BIGGEST ICE BURGS AND TO KEEP IT BACK CONTIONUSLY, AT ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC OCEANS, ON DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY, 3 MONTHLY, 6MONTHLY, YEARLY BASIS. SO AS TO SAFEGAURD THE EXCEL OF MOVING EARTH.
9) WHEN THE SEA LAND WAS DRY DUE TO SUCKING UP OF SEA WATER AND KEPT IT IN TO RESERVIORES, AT THAT TIME THE DRY LAND OF SEA AREA,CAN GIVE WORLD , IRON,GOLD,SILVER,COPER,ZINC, CHMECIALS, AND MANY OTHER GREEN HERBS, AND AYURVEDIC MEDICINES WITHIN THE WORLD AND MUCH MORE THINGS OUT OF THE DEEP SEA LAND, WHICH IS JUST NOW NOT EASILY ACCESSABLE.
10) WHEN SUPER HIGHWAYS ARE CONSTRUCTED, THEN START AGAIN POORING SEA WATER BACK UP TO GOOD LEVEL AND BALANCE SEA WATER, CONTINUE TO KEEP IN RESERVIORES. ALSO RELEASE THE SEA LIVING BEINGS IN TO THOSE RELEASED SEA WATER.
11) AFTER TAKING OUT WHATEVER GOOD FROM THOSE DRY SEA LAND AND ALSO AFTER CONSTRUCTED THE SUPER HIGHWAYS ACROSS THE WORLD, THEN START TO POOR AGAIN BACK THE SEA WATER FROM THOSE LARGEST AND BIGGEST AND WIDEST RESERVIORES. AND AGAIN THE SEA WATER LEVEL WILL COME UNDER OUR CONTROL, SO WHENEVER, WHEREVER, WORLDS COMMUNITY WISHES TO KEEP THE SEA LEVEL, THEN IT IS ALLOWED TO KEEP AND WHERE UNANIMOUSLY, WORLD’S COMMUNITY DO NOT WISH TO KEEP SEA WATER LEVEL WHILE TAKING CARE OF THOSE SUPER HIGHWAYS WHICH ARE CONSTRUCTED FOR TRANSPORTATION, THEN THEY CAN BE ALLOWED FOR THAT ALSO. SO, ONCE WE ARE IN CONTROL OF SEA WATER, THEN NO PROBLEMS OF WATER CAOS.
12) THE BY PRODUCTS FROM THIS PROJECT WHICH WORLD WILL GET IS :-
NO.1 SEA FOODS,
NO.2 SALT
NO.3 SWEET WATER, SO IT CAN BE SUPPLIED TO DROUGHT PRONE AREAS, ALWAYS FOR DRINKING WATER AND ALL GENERAL USAGES.SO,WORLDS DRINKING AND USAGE WATER PROBLEMS, WILL ALSO BE SORTED OUT.
NO.4 MAKE BIG ICE BURGS FROM IT AND PUT IT BACK TO ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC OCEAN CONTINOUSLY, AND SO THE EXCEL OF MOVING WORLD WILL NOT BE, DISTRUBED.
NO.5 WHEN SEA LAND WILL BE DRIED, THEN WORLD IS GOING TO GET IRON,GOLD,SILVER AND MANY MORE THINGS FROM THE DRY SEA LAND, SO THAT ALSO A BOOST TO ECONOMY OF THE WORLD.
NO.6 WHEN SUPER HIGH WAYS ARE CONSTRUCTED ROUND ACROSS THE WORLD, SO AGAIN WORLD’S ECONOMY BOOST UP AND SO NOW, IN PLACE OF ONLY PLANES, OR HELECOPTERS ARE USED TO MOVE TO FAR COUNTRIES, WILL BE POSSIBLE THRU ROADS, ALSO, SO AGAIN DEVELOPMENT IS FASTER.
NO.7 WHEN SUPER HIGH WAYS ARE CONSTRUCTED ROUND ACROSS THE WORLD, THEN START TO RE FILL WATER LEVEL WITH ITS LIVING BEINGS, WHILE TAKING SAFEY MESSURES FOR WORLD POPULATION, AND AGAIN SEA WATER LEVEL WILL COME UP TO ITS CONTROLABLE POSITION. WHEN SEA WATER AND ITS SEA WATER LEVEL COMES UP UNDER HUMAN CONTROL, THEN IT IS NOT POSSIBLE, BY SEA WATER TO MAKE ANY CAOS AND ANY WATER DISASTER, SO MANKIND WILL NOT BE KILLED OFF BY WATER DISASTER.
NO.8 ONLY EARTH QUAKE CAN DEMOLISH THE WATER RESERVIORES, AND THEN IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO SEE WATER DISASTER. SO, WE HAVE TO WORRY, FOR SUCKING UP OIL FROM WITHIN THE CENTRE OF THE WORLD, THEN THIS WATER CAOS PROBLEMS.
AS IF CONTIONUSLY, ARCTIC OCEAN AND ANTARCTIC OCEAN WILL GET BIG ICE BURGS BACK TO REPLACE THE OLD ONES WHICH ARE MELTING, THEN ALSO THE EXCEL OF MOVING EARTH WILL NOT MOVE TO OTHER AREA. BUT IF OIL WILL BE SUCKED OFF TOTALLY FROM THE EARTH INNCER CORE, THEN DEFINITELY, EARTH QUAKES WILL CREATE PROBLEMS TO US, SO WE MUST USE, SOLAR CARS, SOLAR WATER HEATERS, SOLAR COOLERS, SOLAR FOOD MAKING EQUIPMENTS. OR ELECTIRCAL GOODS BUT NOT PETROL OR DIESEL OR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS. BECAUSE, IT IWILL ULTIMATELY CREATE EARTH QUAKES. AND IF AFTER MAKING SEA WATER BIGGEST RESERVIORES, AND THEN EARTH QUAKES STARTS TO HAPPEN, THEN BOTH WAYS WORLD POPULATION WILL DIE, DUE TO EARTH QUAKES AND ALSO DUE TO BURSTING UP OF SEA WATER RESERVIORES AND IT CAN FLOOD UP THE DRY LAND WHERE POPULATION ARE LIVING.
SO, I THINK I HAVE GIVEN UP TOTAL IDEA IN THIS NOW, ITS UP TO YOU ALL TO DECIDE WHAT IS GOOD FOR WHOLE WORLD.
THANK YOU
KANDARP TARKESHPRASAD VAISHNAV
Kandarp2001k@yahoo.co.in
IF WORLD WILL WAIT FOR FINDING A SOLUTION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGES EFFECTS, THEN SEA WILL NOT WAIT TO SUNK WHOLE WORLD IN SECONDS
For more on Personal Rapid Transit
For more on Personal Rapid Transit: http://www.prtstrategies.com.
PRT Information
Learn more about PRT (pictures, videos, papers, news, links, etc) at http://www.prtconsulting.com/
separation
One correction. You said...
> Whether they’re on an elevated railway or a suspension wire
Actually they just need to be separated from automobile traffic, not necessarily elevated.
gary
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