Superbus gets shown to the press
On April 4 former astronaut Wubbo Ockels showcased his Superbus to the press at a former air strip near Leiden.
For those of you who don’t remember, the Superbus is a bus shaped like a race car. Its top speed is 250 kph, to be reached in custom bus lanes. Its aerodynamic shape not only allows it to go fast, but apparently also makes it energy efficient. It can carry up to 23 passengers.
The Superbus prototype is on display at the 59th UITP Congress & Exhibition in Dubai starting today. A feasibility study has shown that the Superbus might be the most efficient public transport option between Amsterdam and Groningen, a distance of 180 kilometres that nevertheless takes two hours by car and even two and a half hours by train. The Dutch government, one of the major backers of the project, is said to have cooled considerably on the Superbus idea, and Ockels now hopes to be able to convince Arabian backers of the usefulness of a fast Abu Dhabi – Dubai connection.
More videos here:
- Kids comment on the Superbus (RNW)
- Interview with Wubbo Ockels (Autoblog.nl)
(Video: Youtube / Rijksoverheid.nl)
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