It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… flying car? Well, close enough.
Tel Aviv is in the process of testing a new system of transportation, SkyTran, which was developed by a California company and supervised by NASA. The system allows a two-person vehicle to be suspended in mid-air from a magnetic levitation, or a maglev track. The vehicles have the capability of reaching speeds of up to 150 mph.
In what seems like something straight out of The Jetsons, the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in Tel Aviv will test the new, state of the art system by building a looped track on its campus. The track will be 500 meters long (.31 miles), and is supposed to be ready by the end of 2015. If this trial is successful, SkyTran will be a new means of transportation not only in the city of Tel Aviv, but in cities around the world.
The Tel Aviv system is predicted to be up and running by the end of 2016. Passengers would be able to use their smartphones to order a hover car to the station of their choice. Each ride would cost approximately $5, and there would be subscriptions available as well. And because SkyTran is controlled by computers, transportation would be available 24 hours a day. Additionally, there would be no traffic congestion created by passengers entering and leaving their vehicles, as vehicles that are already in travel are able to circumvent those stopping to pick up or drop off passengers.
SkyTran CEO, Jerry Sanders, believes that Tel Aviv serves as a fitting place to experiment with this break-through technology: “Tel Aviv is a world city. It’s a destination for people around the world. A center of commerce. Israelis love technology and we don’t foresee a problem of people not wanting to use the system. Israel is a perfect test site.”
The US National Transit Database reports that SkyTran would cost $10 million per mile, ten times less than light rail projects. SkyTran infrastructure also effectively reduces the weight of empty vehicles to under 70 pounds/foot compared with light rail vehicles weighing 990 pounds/foot. Maximum capacity of the system is 11,500 passengers per hour per direction. By automating control of the system, SkyTran would be made safer than driving by eliminating human error and with that, traffic accidents.
According to SkyTran’s website, maglev uses magnetic levitation instead of wheels. Because the system makes no physical contact between the vehicle and the guideway, there is nothing to wear out or fail. Maglev vehicles are levitated a short distance away from the guideway and both lift and thrust are produced by electromagnets. This low-energy technology is very safe, clean and takes a giant step toward addressing global climate change. It is for this reason that the company is so confident in their technology.
The maglev tracks require no external power to levitate vehicles. Rather, the vehicles own movement produces magnetic repulsion over shorted wire coils in the track. The cars would be driven by a linear motor in the track or vehicle, which reduces the number of moving parts. The maglev coils are supported by a light shell called a guideway that also captures the vehicles mechanically to prevent derailment.
According to NASA, SkyTran transports passengers in a fast, safe, green, and economical manner. SkyTran intends to revolutionize public transportation and, with it, urban and suburban commuting.