Huge Buses That Can DRIVE OVER Cars!!!

China has overtaken the United States as the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gases and biggest energy consumer.
But the country is also thinking in big and bold ways when it comes to how it will reduce pollution and a new plan to build a "straddling bus" is among the most space-age schemes yet.
In an effort to go green and relieve congestion without widening roads, the Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment company is developing a "3D Express Coach" (also known as a "three-dimensional fast bus").

 The innovation will allow cars less than 2 meters high to travel underneath the upper level of the vehicle, which will be carrying passengers.
According to China Hush, the 6-meter-wide 3D Express Coach will be powered by a combination of electricity and solar energy, and will be able to travel up to 60 kilometers per hour carrying some 1200 to 1400 passengers.

The first 115 miles of track is set for construction in Beijing's Mentougou district starting in late 2010. The Chairman of the Huashi Future Parking Equipment company boasts it will take only a year and 500 million yuan (around $73 million) to build the futuristic transportation system.

When completed, the straddling buses will run on "relay charges" of electricity and solar power. "The bus itself is electrical conductor," Song Youzhou explained during his presentation of the project. "[T]wo rails built on top to allow the charging post to run along with the bus, the next charging post will be on the rails before the earlier one leaves, that is why we call it relay charging. It is new invention, not available yet in other places."

Passengers will board the buses at large above-ground loading stations.

The front and rear of the buses will emit ultrasonic waves to keep trucks or too-tall cars from entering the "tunnel." If an oversize vehicle gets too close to the bus, sensors will trigger an alarm.

The road-straddling buses will use only 860 tons of fuel per year, Shenzhen Hashi predicts. This could reduce yearly carbon emissions by 2,640 tons.

Song Youzhou proposed two different types of platforms for the buses: "One is to load/unload through the sides [of the vehicle]; the other is using the built-in ladder so that passengers can go up and to the overpass through the [vehicle's] ceiling door."

source : www.yahoo.com
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