Hello, Quartz Index readers!
It’s a bus. It’s a train. It’s both.
Chinese firm CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive built what it says is the world’s first self-driving “rail bus.” After test runs earlier this summer, CRRC began piloting the rail bus in China’s Hunan province on Oct. 30.
The 30-meter (98 foot) electric vehicle uses white paint markings on the pavement, as well as on-board sensors, to gauge the dimensions of the road and navigate its route. Instead of rails, it runs on rubber tires with visual lines to define dedicated lanes.
The company says the vehicle can whisk several hundred passengers along at 70 km per hour (43 mph). A fast-charging system gives it about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) range after about just 10 minutes.
The vehicle is currently traveling a 3.1-km route between four stations, with a 9 km loop planned to begin in 2018. CRRC says the system costs just one-fifth of the $23 million to $30 million that traditional tram systems cost per kilometer.
This will probably be the first of many self-driving trains and buses to enter major cities. CRRC says it signed an agreement with Malaysia to supply 42 self-driving light rail vehicles. At least one US mayor is intrigued as well. Carlos Gimenez, mayor of Miami-Dade County, is planning to fly to China to see Zhuzhou’s system in person. “It’s a solution we can implement now,” Gimenez said last week. “Not one that will take decades to complete.” –Michael J. Coren
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