As the first commitment in the world to a small car PRT system, the British Airways will soon go hi-tech with its Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system at the Heathrow Airport. Being granted with the planning permission for constructing the Arup-designed infrastructure for an automated Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system, passengers at the Heathrow Airport will be able to use ‘driverless pods’ for journeying from a car park to Terminal 5! It will all happen by 2008.
The electric-powered automated pilot system will be extended along the northern perimeter to link hotels, car parks, rental car depots and offices with Terminal 5 and the Central Terminal Area.
Interestingly, the system consists of driverless taxis that run on concrete tracks at speeds up to 40kph and are automatically routed according to the demands of the passengers! Each pod has a capacity of carrying up to four passengers.
Contributing towards the environment, the pods are 70 per cent more efficient per mile, compared to a car! To add to, the system is capable of moving up to 4,800 passengers per hour.
Comments
This is very cool. Another way to attract passengers, these Electric-powered driverless taxis are not only an advancement in the auto industry but also good for the environment as well as a good marketing strategy