Airplanes, trains and cars carried us throughout the twentieth century, but today all this is far from new. The vehicles of the future will travel along lines of magnetic levitation, carry us on jetpacks (jetpacks) and fit in a backpack - and all this will be sooner than you think.
hyperloop
Imagine this: a brilliant billionaire develops an innovative electric car, founds a company that will take astronauts to the International Space Station, and invents a highly successful alternative to the banking system. This may sound like science fiction to many, but it's actually reality. Elon Musk founded Tesla Motors, SpaceX and PayPal, but his thirst for invention has not been satiated: not so long ago, the billionaire presented his idea for an ultra-fast urban transportation system that could “take you from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 35 minutes.” Hyperloop is something like a steel pipe, through which aluminum capsules will move, carrying passengers at a speed of more than 1200 km / h. Well, it will work on solar energy, of course.
What is the problem? The problem is the price. Musk estimates that the Hyperloop will cost $70 billion just to get started. The final costs may exceed $100 billion. This is approximately the same as the design cost of a bridge to the Crimea across the Kerch Strait. However, Hyperloop also has its critics.
Many complain that the system is too expensive, impractical, and even slow. But a start has been made: already in 2015, the startup Hyperloop Transportation Technologies will present a Hyperloop prototype project. You can still bet whether it will take off or not.
Nuclear powered vehicles
Despite the fact that almost everyone is afraid of nuclear energy these days, it may very well become a big part of our common future. There is an American company that is working on a radioactive transportation business. For years, Laser Power Systems have been preaching the benefits of thorium, a radioactive element that is largely responsible for generating heat at the center of the Earth.
While nations are busy researching thorium for use in nuclear power plants, the purpose of the LPS is more transparent. The company plans to build a car engine that runs on one small piece of radioactive material. The engine would run, focusing the heat generated by the thorium and using it to turn water into steam, which would turn a series of microturbines to generate electricity. Thorium is an extremely dense element, so a piece of it the size of a nut can power a car for a hundred years. In other words, you don't have to pay for gas.
Supercavitation
In the world of marine technology, no idea gains momentum faster than supercavitation. This effect is created when a layer of gas bubbles forms around an object in a liquid (imagine a submarine surrounded by bubbles). The gas reduces friction by up to 900 times its normal value, allowing objects to be moved through water very quickly.
It goes without saying that a supercavitating boat would be a huge asset to any navy. In addition to high speed with relatively low fuel consumption, the special shape makes it difficult to detect with sonar. Such a boat can overtake a torpedo.
Juliet Marine Systems, a private company in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is trying to build such a boat. GHOST will protect naval vessels from pirates attacking them. Also, such transport can be an effective ferry capable of quickly moving troops to the shores of the enemy.
Jetpack Martin
TIME magazine's list of the 50 best inventions of 2010 included "the world's first practical jetpack." For convenience, we will call it a jetpack. These jetpacks are being actively developed and are no longer a figment of the imagination of science fiction. Here is one of the recent tests:
Glenn Martin, a New Zealander, has been working on his jetpack for over 30 years and is almost ready for commercial sale. It runs on ducted fans and can fly for up to 30 minutes at a time. Its maximum speed is just under 74 km/h, and its flight altitude is up to 900 meters. Initially, such a jetpack was developed for firefighters and emergency rescue teams, but now Martin decided to give people the opportunity to try it out.
Velogorod
It would be cool to ride a bike every day, but for many people, such trips are not worth the effort. Well, the Americans have found a way to make this extremely difficult task easier. In 2006, Toronto unveiled plans for a "high-speed, all-season, environmentally friendly, ultra-quiet transit system that will make people healthier." Almost a bike path on steroids. Designed by Toronto-based architect Chris Hardwick, this is a three-lane tube for bicycles. The pipe is divided in directions, allowing the air to create a tailwind. The efficiency of cyclists will increase by 90% and they will be able to accelerate to 50 km/h. The Velo-city, as the project is called, will ideally work in cold conditions, as the cyclists inside the tube will be protected from bad weather.
When the idea was proposed, it stirred up the masses, but ultimately the project was written off due to lack of funding. However, he was not forgotten. Perhaps in the future we will be able to ride too.
Next
We've all heard about Google's self-driving cars. But have you heard of Next? Part taxi, part Segway, part origami, this social interaction-focused design has to be seen to be understood. Designer Tommaso Ghezzelin envisioned a world where you use your smartphone to call Next, a self-guided module that picks you up. You slip into the adjustable chair, the door closes. The module rides on four wheels until it meets a group of other modules.
Then a miracle happens. Your seat goes upright and your unit is on two wheels while connected to the group. It's like you're sitting on a bus or a train. Modules detach as easily as they are connected. As you approach your destination, your module will unhook to drop you off without issue.
The idea is fantastic. Unfortunately, we have a long way to go before we are ready for Next. In his plans, Getzelin outlines a time frame for technologies to be developed or improved. This includes cheap nanomaterials, self-driving cars, powerful batteries, cheap high-capacity solar panels. In general, not earlier than 2025, according to the creator of Next.
Kolelinio
Believe it or not, bungee travel could very well be a reality with the Kolelinio, a concept presented by Martin Angelov at the TEDx conference in Thessaloniki in 2010. Angelov showed a network of wires crossing the sky, with the help of which people can easily move from place to place. As the designer notes, we are driven by cars that weigh 20 times our bodies, and our roads are too expensive.
This can be done away with, as well as significantly greening the transport infrastructure. Travelers using Kolelinio will secure themselves in special chairs that will carry them on wires, staying closer to the ground in pedestrian areas and rising higher in high traffic areas.
There are, however, several disadvantages as well. Kolelinio offers no protection from bad weather, is not suitable for people with a fear of heights, and raises a number of safety concerns. Nevertheless, this is a very innovative idea and let's hope that there is someone who will bring the idea to life.
Skylon
The Skylon is generally considered the successor to the Concorde, an aircraft that flew faster than the speed of sound but was retired about 10 years ago. In 2013, the UK announced plans to spend more than $90 million to develop the Skylon, an ultra-fast aircraft that can travel five times the speed of sound and orbit the Earth, meaning space. It will be able to take off from any airstrip in the world and carry 300 passengers from London to Sydney in four hours. Or it can be used to transport cargo to the ISS. But it is unlikely that he will compete with the options that are currently being considered for this position.
Skylon development is underway, although it is very, very difficult to make this transport. The final cost could be over a billion dollars. Nevertheless, many scientists and journalists are optimistic about this project. If all goes according to plan, the prototype will be ready by 2017. What then? "Going into space and accessing anywhere in the world in just four hours," says Alan Bond, founder of Reaction Engines, the company that is working on the Skylon's propulsion system.
SCARAB
This vehicle concept is something sleek and streamlined, vaguely reminiscent of a motorcycle, but enclosed and with plenty of room for luggage. It can be controlled manually, as well as use the autopilot. SCARAB runs on batteries, biofuels and gasoline. He rides on four wheels, but when parking he gets on two. And it adds up.
Designer David Miguel Moreira Gonçalves envisioned the urban environment when he drew his plans. As he himself noted, "the goal of this project was to develop a holistic solution for a new urban transport system, consisting of a car and infrastructure." In other words, he noticed that people prefer private cars to urban transport, so he decided to develop something personal, lightweight and environmentally friendly.
SCARAB has not yet been built, but what prevents it from being done in the future?
skytran
Tel Aviv, Israel, is located in the heart of the ancient cradle of civilization. But he's not outdated at all. Tel Aviv is a dynamic bustling city that lives 24 hours a day, and it has a lot of traffic problems. That is why city planners had the idea to build an air-magnetic transport system. They named it SkyTran. Of course, the designers imagined too much, but in fact the idea is workable. SkyTran will ride at a height of six meters above the ground. Or a little lower, as the bean-shaped capsules will be attached from below, thanks to maglev (magnetic levitation) technology.
Passengers will be able to use a smartphone app to call the capsule to the nearest station. The cars will operate independently and take passengers as close to their destination as possible, if the lanes allow. According to SkyTran CEO, Jerry Sanders, a trip to SkyTran will cost a little more than a bus, but cheaper than a taxi. In addition, if solar panels are installed, SkyTran will become a completely independent system.
SkyTran will be able to reach speeds of up to 241 km / h, but this is later - at first, passengers will get used to slower speeds. The idea itself is fantastic and goes back to the comics of the 50s, and the aerodynamic shape of the car too. But suddenly. The future is coming inexorably.
The transition to "green" transport is undoubtedly a benefit for the environment. But what is behind this for logistics companies? The editors of TLnews decided to find out how the process of introducing environmentally friendly transport and fuel is going on in Russia, as well as what it could mean for transport companies.
Green project starts with fuel
In 2011, Rosstandart, Rostekhnadzor, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation and oil refineries signed an agreement according to which in 2016 our country was to switch to using fuel of an environmental standard of at least Euro-5. Class 5 fuel is less harmful to the environment, since a liter of such fuel contains only 10 mg of sulfur, and, for example, class 3 fuel already contains 150 mg.
The official transition to the new standards formally took place on July 1, 2016. But according to the data for 2016, in fact, only 1/3 of the vehicles registered in our country met the Euro-4 and higher standards. The Russians are now morally and financially not ready to completely abandon the "old" cars and buy themselves a more environmentally friendly car model.
But experts believe that, first of all, not amateur motorists, but transport companies should switch to “green” transport. Yes, first companies will have to spend money on upgrading their fleet, whose cars can run on environmentally friendly fuels - electric, natural gas or hydrogen. However, later this will allow carriers to save on fuel, since now the maintenance of vehicles powered by eco-fuels is much cheaper than the maintenance of vehicles powered by diesel or gasoline.
Alexander Tikhonov, a post-graduate student of the Tambov State Technical University, shared his opinion on the introduction of ecological transport into the work of logistics companies with the editors of TLnews:
Ecological transport is designed to improve the ecological situation around us. For example, in the past, tetraethyl lead was added to the fuel of gasoline cars. It increases the toxicity of exhaust gases. Modern eco-friendly models of cars move on high-class fuel, in which the content of toxic substances is minimized. I believe that the citizens of our country will buy eco-friendly cars if their price is equal to the cost of an ordinary car. At the same time, they should not be inferior in other important technical indicators,” he noted.
Transition to electric cars in Russia
Electric cars are slowly entering the life of Russians. According to Avtostat, as of January 1, 2018, there were 1.8 thousand registered electric cars in Russia. Most of the cars are made in Japan under the Nissan Leaf brand.
However, it is known that the serial production of electric vehicles is planned to be established in Russia as well. Now the Moscow technopark "Caliber" is engaged in the development of electric transport. The Caliber electric car will have both a passenger and cargo version. The car will be able to move at a speed of 100 km / h and work without refueling for 100 km. In addition, other brands are also developing in electric transport in Russia. Below we have presented a list of electric cars that are produced or may be produced by domestic manufacturers in the near future.
Electric car "Sona"
In August 2017, Sona Motors showed the public the Russian electric car Sona. While the project has only a test model, production is planned to begin this year immediately after the company finds an investor.
Electric car «Zetta»
The Russian company Zetta also decided to keep up with its colleagues and introduced the El Panda electric car. The car got its name because its design looks like a panda. The engine power of the car is 98 hp, the electric car can travel about 200 km without recharging. An investor is also needed to organize the serial production of this model of the company.
Bravo electric car
The Mordovian company Bravo Motors worked on the creation of this electric car. The car differs from its predecessors in its compactness: the electric car has a length of 2.7 m. The car is designed for only 1 person, instead of 4 wheels, the car has only 3 wheels. However, this does not prevent the electric car from accelerating to a speed of 90 km / h. The vehicle is equipped with 3 airbags and can be controlled using a gadget.
Electric car «LADA Ellada»
The well-known automobile concern LADA also presented its version of an electric car. The model was supposed to replace a conventional gasoline car. Its price ranged from 800 thousand rubles to 1 million rubles. However, the car had a huge minus - it could not drive more than 30 km on a single charge, and even less in the conditions of the Russian winter. Also, not all battery charging stations could serve the LADA Ellada, since the car had a non-standard recharging connector. For these reasons, the electric car was not popular among motorists.
The relevant departments are working hard on the introduction of electric transport. For example, according to the draft government program for the development of electric vehicles in the Russian Federation until 2025, owners of electric cars will be given the opportunity not to pay transport tax, use free parking lots, receive a discount on toll roads, etc. In addition, Rosseti is currently working on the implementation of the All-Russian Program for the Development of Charging Infrastructure. In 2018, the department planned to supply about a thousand electric charging stations. As of 2017, a total of 60 charging stations for electric vehicles were built in the country, half of which were located in the Russian capital.
The latest developments in the field of "green" transport
Neuromobile
In Russia, in addition to electric cars, other types of environmentally friendly transport are also being developed. Scientists of the National Research Nizhny Novgorod University. N.I. Lobachevsky are working on the release of the first domestic neuromobile. The development is carried out within the framework of the state program "Project 5-100". Vasily Mironov, head of the laboratory of intelligent biomechatronic technologies at UNN, that the neuromobile will be controlled by the driver's mind.
Imagine a situation where a driver decides to change lanes on the road. The car automatically recognizes that it is driving on a highway with several lanes. Based on the results of the driver's electroencephalogram, the neuromobile changes lanes.
Self-driving cars
Yandex has been developing unmanned vehicles for a long time. Prototypes of future machines are tested at a specially designated test site. However, in Russia there is still no documented procedure for allowing cars to be tested on public roads. Representatives of "Yandex" hope that soon there will be a normative act with security requirements in this area. The head of the traffic police of Russia, Mikhail Chernikov, said that the company applied for permission to test an unmanned vehicle at the traffic police in Moscow, but was refused.
In Russia, there are developments not only for passenger unmanned vehicles, but also for trucks. KAMAZ has also created and is testing its own prototypes of unmanned trucks. The car is guided by cameras and sensors. The KAMAZ drone has sensors around the entire perimeter that determine the quality of the road and can warn the driver of a possible collision. The system, based on the received data, determines whether it is possible to make a turn, brake, etc.
Drones
Robotics is gradually being introduced into the logistics market. The advantage of drones is that they can deliver cargo to settlements to which convenient roads have not been built. The editors of "TLnews" that "Business Lines" have already begun testing robotics in their work. Drones did an excellent job with their duties in the company's warehouses. The company Technopolis "Moscow" did not lag behind colleagues. Specialists have developed software that allows drones to deliver cargo weighing up to 3 kg at a distance of up to 30 km.
Finally, we note that in our country the introduction of ecological transport has not acquired such a large-scale character as, for example, abroad. This is due not only to the lack of necessary infrastructure, but also to the personal requests of motorists. Not every driver is willing to pay 1.5-2 times more for lower environmental performance of the vehicle. This trend in Russia will continue until the market price of "green" vehicles becomes the same as for gasoline models of cars.
Another reason for the slow introduction of eco-transport is the undeveloped regulatory framework. In Russia, there are no officially approved legislative acts that would fix the movement of environmental transport, encourage their purchase, which means that the use of eco-transport still raises many questions at each stage of operation of the latest technology.
Technologies
The problem of ecology and environmental protection has been hanging in the air for a long time. For a long time, scientists from different countries have been developing a special type of transport that would be environmentally friendly.
Transport without harm to the environment
Specialists from the Dutch company "Urban Mobility Europe" designed and created a personal electric vehicle that can be called environmentally friendly. Thanks to this transport of the future, you can easily move around the streets of the city and park areas without harming the environment. A feature of the electric car is that it has three wheels.
And the most important advantage lies in the fact that on a single charge the upgraded mobile vehicle "Qugo" develops a maximum speed of up to 25 km/h. The electric car of the future has a patented design that guarantees a smooth and comfortable ride. In addition to the fact that you travel in an environmentally friendly transport, you have the opportunity to ride with comfort and all amenities.
The aluminum frame is very light. Its dimensions are approximately the following: 1150x580x1350 mm, there is also a front-wheel drive steering wheel, special brake pads on all discs and a 1-kilowatt motor powered by a lithium-ion battery group. The electric car is charged by a battery that is powered by a standard electrical outlet. Charging takes about 2-3 hours. The upper steering beam can be easily folded. By reducing the device in size by almost half (1150x580x780 mm), it can be stored even in a small room.
The ability of a vehicle to transform is a very significant advantage, especially when there is a lack of parking spaces. Two small wheels in front of the car allow you to successfully overcome obstacles of any complexity. Thus, the driver can zigzag at a higher speed than when the vehicle travels in a straight line.
And now another good news: "Quqo" is already on sale. An electric car can be purchased at specialized stores in some Western European countries.
Electric vehicles of the future
An electric vehicle is a vehicle driven by one or more electric motors. Power is supplied from an autonomous source of electricity (batteries, various fuel sources, etc.). Unlike an ordinary car, it does not have an internal combustion engine.
It is from him that supporters of electric vehicles urge to abandon in the near future and switch to environmentally friendly power sources that are present in electric vehicles. It is quite likely that in the fairly near future people will replace the usual cars that pollute the environment with safe electric cars, the main difference of which is the complete absence of the ability to pollute the air. So, thanks to such transport, a person has the opportunity to maintain an environmentally friendly environment.
The population on the planet is growing catastrophically fast, most of it is concentrated in cities. And people continue to develop more and more new spaces, increase their mobility in cities and beyond. In the same geometric progression, the number of cars on the roads is growing. Transport has always occupied an important place in people's lives, not to depend on one place is a person's old dream.
It is transport that is called one of the main causes of environmental pollution. Therefore, the creation of alternative vehicles with minimal impact on the environment is a priority for modern scientists.
Eco-friendly transport is not only a bicycle that immediately comes to mind. Although bike and scooter- individual environmentally friendly vehicles, which are becoming more common today. In addition to caring for the environment, using a bicycle and a scooter is good for health, because they are controlled by muscle power. A favorite means of transport in Tokyo is, for example, a scooter.
And in such European countries as the Netherlands and Denmark, every second inhabitant has a bicycle.
If we talk about scientific developments, scientists have created a number of alternative batteries for cars. Let us clarify that eco-friendly species include those that do not work on hydrocarbons.
For example, electric accumulators. They are more capacious and their efficiency is much higher than that of a conventional battery, it is easier to make it. The only thing is that their production is still quite expensive. If cheap materials are found, electric batteries will be mass-produced. Already thousands of cars around the world are powered by an electric motor. Such machines, by the way, are 4 times lighter than conventional ones.
Hydrogen engine.
Hydrogen is the most energy-intensive substance. But its use is associated with the need to install ceramic parts due to reactions occurring in the engine, which increases the cost of manufacture. Catalysts can be used that produce electricity when oxidized, but such energy is even more expensive. Hydrogen-powered vehicles already exist, but they are far inferior to electric vehicles in operation!
known chemical engines, pneumatic and spring.
The pneumatic car runs on cylinders of compressed air, which comes out under pressure and makes the car move. Imagine a car in the fresh air!
Chemical and spring motors are under development and improvement.
Segways, which previously seemed almost a space innovation, are now used in some countries even by government officials. The idea of his work is movement, which obeys and is controlled by the slightest change in the position of the body in space. In the process of movement, autonomous engines operate, which are located on each wheel. Energy reserves can be renewed when moving from a mountain and from a simple outlet.
Segaid or unicycle was created in USA in 2012, now very popular in China. It is a self-balancing scooter with a powerful engine.
Alternative and very environmentally friendly modes of urban transport are trolleybus and tram. Working on electricity, they cause minimal harm to the environment and are able to take a leading position in the transportation of passengers in cities.
As you can see, an alternative to conventional transport already exists today.
