Future Tech Review

Exciting Innovations in Transportation

Welcome are new contributing writer (future transportation technologies) Paul Schilperoord, whose book “Future Tech – Innovations in Transportation” was published in 2006 by Octopus Design / Black Dog Publishing and received many enthusiastic reviews. He’s working on the next book already, about some mysterious aspects of German car-making. We are honored to have Paul in our team of writers, with projected monthly features on various cool “future tech”.

“Future Tech” aims to present you with a realistic view of the future, based on concepts and prototypes for future vehicles, which are currently in serious development.

We are going to highlight a few examples from each section of the book. You will also see some material not found in the book, provided exclusively for DRB. Our sincere hope is that we are going to see at least some of these concepts mass-produced one day.

 Moller Skycar: VTOL Flying Car
The Skycar M400 is a flying car prototype which utilizes Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) technology. This makes it possible to take off and land without the use of an airport runway. The American company Moller International envisions a future where flying car owners can simply take to the skies directly from their driveway.
The Skycar M400 has seating capacity for four people, but its design can also be scaled up to the six-seating M600, or scaled down to the single-passenger M100.
The Skycar has a highly streamlined design equipped with four ducted-fan nacelles – two placed on either side of the cockpit. Each nacelle fully encloses the engine and fans and produces both lift and propulsion when airborne. Vertical lift is obtained during takeoff by redirecting the airflow downwards by deflection vanes inside of each nacelle.

Embrio: One-Wheeled Motorcycle

The EMBRIO Advanced Concept is a one-wheeled recreational and commuting vehicle for the year 2025, designed by the Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products. Although the riding position is similar to that of a motorcycle, the vehicle uses sensors and gyroscopes to balance up to two passengers on a large single wheel whilst driving.

Although the vehicle will also remain stable when motionless, with two small front wheels deployed at speeds below 20 kilometres per hour (12.5 mph). To move forward, the rider activates a trigger on the left handlebar. At a speed of 20 kilometres per hour (12.5 mph) the front wheels or “landing gear” retracts so the rider is balancing on the large single wheel. To turn the rider leans to the left or right. The brake is activated by a trigger on the right handlebar. Fuel cells running on hydrogen provide electricity for the electric motor which drives the single wheel.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL NAME: EMBRIO Advanced Concept
DEVELOPED BY:Bombardier Recreational Products
STATUS: Concept
YEAR: 2003
DRIVE SYSTEM: Fuel cell electric
FUEL: Hydrogen
LENGTH: 1,240 mm (48.8 in)
WIDTH: 700 mm (27.5 in)
HEIGHT: 1,200 mm (47.5 in)
WEIGHT: 164 kg (360 lbs)
SEATING CAPACITY: 2




Blade Runner: Rail & Road Hybrid

Furthermore an interesting crossbreed between light rail and a bus is the Blade Runner concept, developed by the British company Silvertip Design. The Blade Runner is aimed to reduce traffic congestion as well fuel consumption and pollution by utilizing a dual-mode vehicle concept.

The Blade Runner is equipped with both road wheels with rubber tires as well as retractable rail wheels. This makes it possible for the vehicle to switch between driving on roads and fixed railway tracks embedded in a road surface. When running on such rails, the road wheels still provide the driving and braking power while the weight is carried by the track. This combined system makes the Blade Runner more versatile than a train and more fuel efficient than a truck. The fuel efficiency is due to the lesser rolling resistance between train wheel and track, compared to road-wheels, and improved aerodynamics.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS


NAME: Blade Runner
DEVELOPED BY: Silvertip Design
STATUS: Concept/functioning model
YEAR: 2004 (model)
DRIVE SYSTEM: Hybrid-electric with Diesel engine (front) + electric motor (rear)
MAXIMUM SPEED: 120 km/h (80 mph)
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 14 – 20 l / 100 km (16.7 – 11.8 mpg US)
EMPTY WEIGHT: 15 tonnes (16.5 ton US)
SEATING CAPACITY: 105 (double deck configuration)
70 + 35 standing (single deck configuration)


Images courtesy Silvertip Design