Journal Article
Cybercars for Sustainable Urban Mobility - A European Collaborative Approach
2010-10-19
2010-01-2345
We know that the existing urban transport systems based on the private vehicle (necessarily relying mostly on fossil fuels) are not sustainable in terms of energy and land needs. On the other hand, public transportation systems are also not very efficient and do not provide a good service anywhere and anytime. Over the last twenty years, a new concept has emerged through strong cooperation between researchers, automotive companies, suppliers and transit operators. It is the concept of co-modal systems. This means well-designed systems that will combine the use of various transportation modes and in particular the individual vehicles and the mass transit systems. A key element of such a system is the Cybernetic Transportation Systems (CTS), which are based on fully automated urban vehicles. This paper will present these CTS and how they have emerged through a European collaborative approach.