Superbus, the future of public transport

Superbus was designed by a research team at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The team consists of many leading engineers in the car industry. One of them is the former technical director of Formula 1 racing team BMW-Williams Dr. Antonia Terzi, director of the project is Professor Wubbo Ockels, the first Dutchman to fly into space . The project attracted a lot of investment, including the 77 million Euro sponsorship package of the Dutch government and more than 45 well-known suppliers in the world such as Bose, Logitech, Hella, etc.

>>>Video: Superbus - New means of transport

Outstanding design

The superbus looks like a concept of a luxury limousine. The car has a length of 15m, a system of 16 unique "bird wings" 2 sides, carrying 23 passengers at a speed of up to 250km / h. The car uses four electric E2M engines, with aerodynamic form and made of ultra-light materials that help the car to save energy while still achieving great speeds.

The car has a special chassis design and special wheel supports that can change the distance from undercarriage to the road surface to suit different types of terrain. On bumpy roads superbus can increase the underbody distance to 40cm, when it reaches highways it can be lowered to 7cm, increasing the traction ability when the car runs at high speed.

To reduce the weight of the vehicle, the chassis includes the cockpit and rear passenger section made entirely of synthetic carbon-epoxy fiber. The exterior of the car is made of IXIS material, a composite material consisting of a porous core sandwiched between layers of thermoplastic fiberglass. This material not only has light, durable properties but also is shockproof in very good accidents.

The superbus glass doors are made of force-resistant polycarbonate materials and are lightweight. Tires are also specially designed by Vredestein, large-sized tires (close to truck tires) but combine many technical elements of sports tires. Ensure load bearing capacity, traction and minimize energy consumption.

Safety features

To ensure the safety of passengers, the superbus is equipped with many advanced electronic warning devices. In addition to the standard safety systems such as ABS anti-lock brakes, ESP electronic balance, EBP brake force distribution, cruise control and tire pressure systems, warning of lane deviation, etc. Superbus is also equipped with more than 700 sensors throughout the vehicle.

One of them is a radar detection system, which detects obstacles in front of the vehicle for several hundred meters. The car also incorporates a GPS system, car-to-car, and car-to-infrastructure communication technology (enabling vehicles with the ability to exchange information about potential hazards on the streets and traffic). Other important news with neighboring vehicles and infrastructure. There is also a warning sensor when passengers have not fastened their seat belts and sensors on the doors.

furniture

The interior of the car is designed simply but still gives passengers a comfortable, comfortable and extremely luxurious feeling. It is divided into 2 main sections, the passenger compartment and the cockpit. Passenger compartment is divided into 3 main cabins by bearing glass panels.

The first passenger compartment includes rows of seats facing the cockpit, each of which is equipped with a personal entertainment system that includes a TV screen, music player and a tablet. The two rear passenger compartments have 2 rows of seats facing each other and a large conference table in the middle, suitable for meetings or contract signing.

Practical application

Although the superbus is a particularly luxurious bus, developers say its fare will not be too high, possibly on par with today's public transport. Flexibility is one of the strengths of the superbus system, it will not follow fixed routes. The developer will receive requests via email or call directly. They will then arrange the closest passengers and have the same destination most on a superbus trip, thereby reducing parking stops during the trip. Developers also say superbus will mainly run long routes rather than running short routes in the city. Superbus promises to be a great new experience on long trips.

The superbus project will take several years to come into practice. But it will be a new hope in the public transport system. An end to old vehicles, environmental pollution due to emissions or the current public transport delays.