Alternative Transportation – Page 8

3D Printer, Alternative Transportation, Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News

Meet Olli 2.0, a 3D-printed autonomous shuttle

September 10, 2019

From afar, Olli resembles many of the “future is now!” electric autonomous shuttles that have popped up in recent years.

The tall rectangular pod, with its wide-set headlights and expansive windows nestled between a rounded frame, gives the shuttle a friendly countenance that screams, ever so gently, “come along, take a ride.”

But Olli is different in almost every way, from how it’s produced to its origin story. And now, its maker, Local Motors, has given Olli an upgrade in hopes of accelerating the adoption of its autonomous shuttles.

Meet Olli 2.0, a 3D-printed connected electric autonomous shuttle that Rogers says will hasten its ubiquity.

“The future is here; it’s just not evenly distributed,” Local Motors co-founder and CEO John B. Rogers Jr. said in a recent interview. “That’s something I say a lot. Because people often ask me, ‘Hey, when will I see this vehicle? 2023? What do you think?’ My response: It’s here now, it’s just not everywhere.”

Continue reading… “Meet Olli 2.0, a 3D-printed autonomous shuttle”

Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Lyft’s main taxi business is already profitable in some areas, but self-driving cars and bike-sharing are eating into that revenue

September 7, 2019

A man rides a Lyft scooter near the White House in Washington DC Reuters

JPMorgan says Lyft’s core ride-hailing business is already profitable in certain markets.

It’s other bets on things like bikes, scooters, and self-driving cars that are dragging down the company’s balance sheet.

Other Wall Street analysts have also raised their estimates and targets for Lyft following second-quarter earnings that topped expectations.

Continue reading… “Lyft’s main taxi business is already profitable in some areas, but self-driving cars and bike-sharing are eating into that revenue”

Alternative Transportation, Aviation, Science & Technology News, Transportation

The dream of flying taxis may not be too far off

September 5, 2019

Then again, Henry Ford said the same thing in 1940.

“Mark my words. A combination of airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile. But it will come,” Henry Ford quipped in 1940. Our dreams of cars capable of taking flight at the whim of their driver have been around nearly as long as we’ve had cars themselves, or at least as long as we’ve endured heavy commute traffic. Yet the prospect of actual, commercially available flying automobiles has always seemed to remain just out of reach, only a few years from viability. But even as drones become commonplace, are we really any closer to an age of aeronautical automobiles than we were in Ford’s day?

What even is a flying car? Designs have run the gamut from the AVE Mizar (basically a Ford Pinto with wings, to VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) designs like the Piasecki VZ-8 Airgeep. Even today, you’ve got roadable aircraft like the Terrafugia Transition, though these are quickly being pushed into the periphery in favor of VTOLs like the Bell Nexus being developed for Uber Elevate. That is, modern designs generally focus on serving as personal aircraft, rather than automobiles that can also fly.

Continue reading… “The dream of flying taxis may not be too far off”

Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Aviation, Science & Technology News

After drones & self-driving vehicles, Japan shows flying cars are no longer a distant dream

August 29, 2019

While drones and self-driving cars have been making the headlines, Japan has reportedly have cracked the code of making flying cars. Though the car was caged and only hovered for about a minute in the air, it was a successful attempt to make the vehicle fly. In an experiment right out of the sci-fi movies, this has been accomplished by Japan’s NEC Corp. While it is a small development directing towards bigger accomplishments, there is also a debate on whether it really is a flying “car” or just a bigger version of a drone.

What Can The Flying Car Accomplish?

The prototype which was unveiled by Japan’s NEC Corp had four propellers that could smoothly hover for about a minute. It was powered by a battery and could rise to about the height of 3 meters or 10 feet above the ground before setting down again. While the prototype that Japanese electronics maker demonstrated was flown without passengers in it, the company claims that it is capable of doing so in the future.

Continue reading… “After drones & self-driving vehicles, Japan shows flying cars are no longer a distant dream”

Alternative Transportation, Big Problems, City Planning, Science & Technology News, Transportation

For the struggling legacy transit systems, new mobility options present challenges and opportunities

August 27, 2019

Despite decades of ridership and revenue growth, the country’s busiest transit systems have struggled in recent years both at the turnstile and in the farebox, even as operating costs and unmet capital needs continue to grow. Metropolitan transit agencies serving New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, Boston and San Francisco, the country’s five largest systems, have all seen ridership declines in each of the last three years, and only the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) saw revenues increase, according to financial disclosures.

Some of the decline can be attributed to service quality. But these systems are also challenged by competition from ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, bike-share programs and the ever-polarizing electric scooter phenomenon.

Continue reading… “For the struggling legacy transit systems, new mobility options present challenges and opportunities”

Alternative Transportation, Aviation, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Autonomous air mobility company EHang to deploy air shuttle service in Guangzhou

August 24, 2019

China’s EHang, a company focused on developing and deploying autonomous passenger and freight low-altitude vehicles, will build out its first operational network of air taxis and transports in Guangzhou. The company announced that the Chinese city would play host to its pilot location for a citywide deployment.

The pilot will focus on not only showing that a low-altitude, rotor-powered aircraft makes sense for use in cities, but that a whole network of them can operate autonomously in concert, controlled and monitored by a central traffic management hub that EHang will develop together with the local Guangzhou government.

Continue reading… “Autonomous air mobility company EHang to deploy air shuttle service in Guangzhou”

Alternative Transportation, Aviation, Science & Technology News, Uber

Uber will test its flying taxis in Melbourne

June 24, 2019

The company has chosen Melbourne as its third test city.

Uber has chosen the third test city to join Dallas and Los Angeles for its flying taxi trials: Melbourne, Australia. The third location was supposed to be Dubai, but negotiations fell through and prompted the company to look for another site for trials outside the US. Uber considered Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paris, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Tokyo and Sydney. In the end, Melbourne won.

Susan Anderson, Uber’s Regional General Manager for Australia, New Zealand and North Asia, told Reuters that it’s because the Australian government “adopted a forward-looking approach to ridesharing and future transport technology.” Melbourne, in particular, has a “unique demographic and geospatial factors, and culture of innovation and technology” that make it perfect for the trials.

Continue reading… “Uber will test its flying taxis in Melbourne”

Alternative Transportation, Aviation, Science & Technology News, Transportation, Uber

Uber begins talks with Indian government to push for flying taxis

June 24, 2019

Ride-hailing firm Uber has begun talks with the government to usher in a regulatory framework for flying taxis in the country, a top company executive told ET.

Uber has begun talks with the Indian government to push for flying taxis. Ride-hailing firm Uber has begun talks with the government to usher in a regulatory framework for flying taxis in the country.

Over the last one year, the San Francisco-based company has held conversations with regulators in India and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Nikhil Goel, head of product, aviation at Uber, in an interaction with ET on the sidelines of an Uber Elevate event here.

Continue reading… “Uber begins talks with Indian government to push for flying taxis”

Alternative Transportation, Green Friendly, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Bikes are starting to replace delivery vans in London

June 22, 2019

More and more people are switching to pedal powered couriers

Don’t be surprised if you see a bike piled high with parcels rushing past you in the cycle lane.

It’s probably one of the dozens of new cargo bikes that are replacing delivery vans across London.

From traders at Bermondsey Blue Market to businesses at London Bridge, more and more people are switching to pedal powered couriers.

Continue reading… “Bikes are starting to replace delivery vans in London”

3D Printer, Alternative Transportation, Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News

Driverless, 3D-printed vehicles debut on California college campus

March 2, 2019

Autonomous 3D-printed vehicles start driving around college campus

They’re self-driving shuttles that just rolled up to Sacramento State.

They can fit up to eight people on board, and there’s a special spot reserved for the safety steward. He can pull a hand-brake to stop the Olli if absolutely needed, but otherwise it will operate on its own.

According to the company, they’re the first of their kind – electric and 3D-printed.

Continue reading… “Driverless, 3D-printed vehicles debut on California college campus”

Alternative Transportation, Aviation, Boeing, Transportation

Boeing shows off their futuristic autonomous flying taxi!

February 5, 2019

Uber has been a boon for us (especially on Saturday nights in Mumbai), helping us reach places quickly, conveniently and economically. But, they created a problem, sort of. More cars on the roads mean increased traffic in major cities.

Well, Boeing is kind of working on this matter, to find a solution. Flying taxis! Not really innovational, we know. But, we may be closer to this becoming a reality than one would think, as they successfully completed their first test flight.

Continue reading… “Boeing shows off their futuristic autonomous flying taxi!”

Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Aviation, Boeing, Science & Technology News, Transportation, Uber

12 awesome flying cars and taxis currently in development

January 31, 2019

These flying cars want to take your commute to new heights

We were promised that the future would bring flying cars, right? We were. And the good news is that tech entrepreneurs around the world are finally getting started on creating what are commonly known as VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing, pronounced vee-toll) vehicles designed at car size.

Of course, no one is ready for flying cars quite yet. There’s no infrastructure to support them, and a whole new set of auto laws would have to be drawn up to regulate them (like personal drones, but a thousand times worse). The first commercial VTOLs we will see won’t be hanging out at the local auto dealer—they’ll be taxi services built to shuttle people from part of a city to another.

Here’s all the current projects that want to put you in the seat of a flying car.

Continue reading… “12 awesome flying cars and taxis currently in development”