Personal Rapid Transit Vehicles in Masdar City

Test-Riding Personal Rapid Transit in Masdar City (Treehugger, Jan. 19, 2011)

Also discussed here: Masdar City PRT -World's First Urban PRT System (2getthere)

And here: Abu Dhabi to Debut Personal Rapid Transit “Podcars” Later This Year (Treehugger, Feb. 1, 2009)

The first working urban PRT system is now being implemented in Masdar City, using 2 driver-less pod cars capable of 40 kph speed manufactured in Holland (by 2getthere). The result will be zero pollution and minimum congestion.



Key Quotes

“Masdar City will be the world’s first carbon neutral, zero-waste to landfill, car-free city powered entirely by alternative energy sources. Masdar City will be built on six and a half square kilometres and will grow eventually to house 1,500 businesses, 40,000 residents and 50,000 commuters”

“The PRT vehicles will travel at speeds up to 40km/h, with the longest routes in the city taking around 10 minutes. Ultimately there will be 3,000 PRT vehicles serving 130,000 trips/day over the 85 stations.”

“PRT cars will move along rights of way, approximately 6 meters under street level. [Masdar City’s streets will be raised off the ground, but buildings will be built at ground level, with the first couple of stories serving as basements and space for technical equipment.]”

“the Freight Rapid Transit system is capable of making 5,000 trips per day carrying the loads and deliveries for residents, stores and hotels. The flatbed vehicles can carry two pallets, with a maximum total payload of 1,600kg”

“The PRT & FRT will be entirely powered by renewable energy. The vehicles are equipped with Lithium-Phosphate batteries, allowing a range of approximately 60 kilometers on a 1,5 hour charge”

“Masdar City's PRT system will have no rush hour congestion. When the computer sees that the network is approaching capacity, it will simply not allow cars to leave stations”

“In addition to PRT, he says, a light rail line will snake through Masdar, most likely running between Abu Dhabi's international airport and the city center, some 20 km away”

Related articles

• Test-Riding Personal Rapid Transit in Masdar City [VIDEO] (fastcompany.com)
• Personal Rapid Transit in Masdar City (triplepundit.com)
• Zooming Around Masdar City in Electric Pods (gigaom.com)
• Abu Dhabi's Environmental Push: Will Masdar City Work? (time.com)
• The world's newest, greenest city: Can it work? (time.com)
• A Glimpse of Green Cities of the Future: Masdar is the Model (livinggreenandsavingenergy.com)