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Jan. 1, 2006
Cars on track to the future Sara Haldert Forget buses. Trackcars are coming. The future is near. At least in Uppsala, where noise-free trackcars will be in the air within two years. They are small, driverless, electric-powered vehicles on rails. Five meters up in the air. "They function like an elevator, but in a different direction. They are fast and safe, and don't stop for red lights," sayd Magnus Hunhammar, trackcar researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Transportation. 385 meters long By the end of January a 385-meter long trackcar test loop will be built by the soccer field outside Uppsala. There the Korean trackcar maker Vectus will adapt trackcars for snowy and rainy Swedish weather. Cost: 40 million. Soon for the public And soon available to the public, according to Hunhammar. "Following successful testing there will be a pilot project in Uppsala within two years. It will be 3-4 km going from the research center to the university hospital," he said. And a small route in Uppsala is just a start. "Eventually we'll introduce trackcars to travel between towns," said Hunhammar. Back |