Updated Note - couldn't quite get Behance to do what I was trying to do (probably just a lack of understanding on my part), so I've moved all my updates to my blog (https://orbitcommuter.wordpress.com/2018/06/05/what-is-orbit-commuter/). Also realized that "Super Commuter" is already a term that has some other connotations and didn't quite convey the right message, so you will see "ORBIT Commuter" as the new title on most of my posts. Check it out.
How frustrating was your commute this week? If your city had the SuperCommuter system, you could have . . .
- Enjoyed the ride in your personal vehicle.
- Experienced door-to-door service on your own schedule.
- Spent $0 on fuel, creating zero greenhouse emissions.
- Snoozed on the way in a clean, safe, peaceful environment.
- Safely arrived despite rush-hour accidents.
- Enjoyed the ride in your personal vehicle.
- Experienced door-to-door service on your own schedule.
- Spent $0 on fuel, creating zero greenhouse emissions.
- Snoozed on the way in a clean, safe, peaceful environment.
- Safely arrived despite rush-hour accidents.
The SuperCommuter is a creative combination of currently-available technologies resulting in a personal, safe, environmentally-friendly transportation system. Each two-seat electric Vehicle is personally-owned (target price <$5k). Commuters leave from home, drive to the Monorail, connect, ride to the city in peace and privacy, disconnect, and drive to and park at work - all on their own schedule.
Benefits-
- Personal Safety - commuters are not "driving" when on the Monorail. Vehicle is controlled by the Monorail system.
- Efficiency - traffic flow is managed to minimize commute time and optimize routes (intelligent bi-directional management for rush hour traffic optimization based on commute direction).
- Public Safety - no stop lights, safety barriers, traffic enforcement, crosswalks, intersections, etc. In the congested city, surface traffic and pollution is reduced.
- Environmentally Friendly - Vehicles are small, lightweight, zero-emission, and charge while on the rail so most commuters would never have to plug their Vehicles in.
- Personal Safety - commuters are not "driving" when on the Monorail. Vehicle is controlled by the Monorail system.
- Efficiency - traffic flow is managed to minimize commute time and optimize routes (intelligent bi-directional management for rush hour traffic optimization based on commute direction).
- Public Safety - no stop lights, safety barriers, traffic enforcement, crosswalks, intersections, etc. In the congested city, surface traffic and pollution is reduced.
- Environmentally Friendly - Vehicles are small, lightweight, zero-emission, and charge while on the rail so most commuters would never have to plug their Vehicles in.
The Vehicle’s battery has a maximum range of 5-8 miles and a maximum road speed of 35 mph, keeping the vehicle affordable. No advanced battery technology is required. The low speed minimizes highway crashworthiness requirements. The Vehicle’s intelligent digital interface manages battery power and vehicle health, coordinates with Carriage calls, and communicates while on the rail. The Vehicle is both safe for “traditional” on-road usage and optimized for efficiency and comfort on the overhead Monorail.
The Vehicle is mated to a Carriage at Terminals strategically located throughout the network of Monorails. Once on the Monorail, the Vehicle can travel up to 70 mph, with the speed and route of the Carriage controlled by the System. Commuters do not control the Vehicle while on the Monorails; they can sleep, study, read, work, etc. The Carriage is electrically driven using linear electromotive propulsion and free-rolling, high-efficiency rollers.
The Monorail consists of two diamond-shaped hollow tubes connected by a shear web. The upper tube interfaces with the support columns while the lower tube is the rail that the Carriages roll on. The web is the stator plane for the linear propulsion. Rail cost-per-mile would be significantly less than surface roads including maintenance.
The Monorail, computerized control System, and Carriages are owned and managed by the company. Terminals are more densely located in the city, but are spaced out on feeder lines so that no vehicle travels more than a few miles to access the rail network. Popular destinations, like shopping malls, might have their own dedicated access Terminals. In large cities with tall office buildings, the light weight of the vehicles could allow for floors to be dedicated as parking garages with automated parking, where the vehicle never leaves the rail system.
The drawings below were created by Caleb Rowland and were part of the SAE "Design the Future" submission. The vehicles pictured were inspiration from other vehicles that I have seen in other places / websites / blogs.
Where I need help is developing some realist graphics to communicate the idea and generate some interest.
A couple other notes -
- wouldn't this be a great addition to Bill Gates' new town of Belmont?
- dedicated "taxi" Vehicles that never leave the rail
- reduced number of cars on roads that badly need repaired
- cost per mile of rail versus paved road with maintenance would be much less (no police, no patrol cars, robotic maintenance vehicles, no storm drains and runoff, etc)
- electric motors in the front wheels eliminate the need for costly drivetrain components and free up creative space for a unique vehicle design (the only "drivetrain" is the batteries which can be pretty small compared to most electric cars)
- four key development areas: the vehicle (team with a creative, agile small car company), the rail system (team with a creative civil engineering / rail design team), the network management software (team with a software development team), and the carriage development (might be the most challenging but team with a roller coaster design team) - none of these are aggressively pushing any of these technology areas, but simply need collaborative focus and clear definition
- in the original embodiment of this concept, the carriage was integral with the vehicle, but separating the two seems to make more sense from a regulatory standpoint and probably from a business model perspective (the component that the user owns is less expensive and the part that stays with the rail can belong to the company that owns the network and can be maintained accordingly); an integral carriage makes the vehicle heavier and will further reduce the off-network range; someday people will want custom vehicles and having two separate components make this easier in the future.
- what's the difference with today's self-driving cars? On the road, the SuperCommuter vehicle is simply a small electric car and the driver is responsible for control and direction. On the rail, the System controls the Vehicle's speed and path. Because the speed and position of all of the Vehicles on the rail are known, this is a simple automation task compared to autonomously driving a car on surface roads with other cars, unpredictable human drivers, children, pedestrians, pets, etc. This means that travel on the rail is so incredibly safe, it is snooze-worthy.
