| 20 Jan 2010 |
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Driverless taxis become reality
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Abu Dhabi's Masdar City is driving cars off the roads, reports Nichola Jones
The streamlined white pods would not look out of place in a sci-fi movie but they could be the future of carbon-zero transport and are being pioneered in the UAE through Abu Dhabi's Masdar City.
The world's first entirely sustainable city demands an eco-friendly method for the 50,000 people expected to live and work there to get around. There will be no fuel guzzling 4x4s clogging the roadways of the 6km sq settlement but there will be a futuristic driverless taxi system which will see more than 1,000 battery powered cars ferry passengers around a sophisticated Personal Rapid Transit System (PRT).
A MasdarMasdar
spokesman said: "MasdarMasdar will be a city where people can live and work without the need of a personal vehicle, in a multi-level, barrier-free environment.
Unlike many cities that are built primarily around the accommodation of automotive traffic, Masdar City will offer transportation solutions which will significantly reduce environmental impact without sacrificing ease of movement."
Only two PRT systems are currently up and running in the world and they are not open to the public.
The technology is still being developed to fine tune such a system and it is believed Abu Dhabi will be among the first to have a fully integrated system.
The PRT runs on the same principal as a taxi service.
You hop in a car at a rank, which will be situated about every 50m, and tell it where to go by pushing a button.
The vehicle will then take you there, guided by a computer navigation system and a network of magnets embedded in the surface of the roadways which will keep it on course.
Luca Guala is a project manager at Italian firm Systematica which specialises in developing PRT systems and is currently working with MasdarMasdar Scientific Institute.
It is controlled by a central computer that directs all the cars and makes sure your vehicle does not take you down an already congested route. It works a bit like air traffic control.
At 3am, the car would take you the quickest route. If you wanted to go to the same place at 8am, it might take you a slightly longer route in kilometres but it could be quicker because it is avoiding congestion."
The PRT system would also link up to the planned Abu Dhabi Light Railway, giving visitors to MasdarMasdar and residents of the city the option to travel into the heart of the UAE's capital without using a car.
Carbon-zero business bid
As one of the world's biggest transportation and delivery companies, TNT has an unavoidable carbon footprint but the firm has a big ambition to become the first carbon-zero business of its kind.
The company has 30,000 commercial vehicles worldwide plus 40 aircraft so fuel consumption and emissions are a concern for the environmentally conscious company.
In the UK and Germany, electric vehicles are being used meaning deliveries can be carried out without the environment paying the price. In the future, TNT hopes its 100 vans and lorries in the UAE will follow suit but until the infrastructure is in place, there are other ways the firm cuts is contribution to pollution and fuel consumption.
Commercial manager Mark Wood-ock explains: "We send all our drivers on defensive driving courses which means our drivers are safer and it also reduces fuel consumption."
In the UAE, the firm also uses two fuel-efficient jets and can also carry 100 tonnes of cargo - meaning fewer trips are necessary.
The company has also replaced meetings for international representatives with video conferencing so its employees do not have to take as many flights.
© 7Days 2010
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