China has started Autonomous Trackless Electric Trams

Recently, a Rail transit firm in China named CRRC has introduced a train that runs on the road instead of rails. This is the world’s first train that doesn’t need rails to travel; rather it uses virtual dotted lines on the road for transit.

The technology has been termed as ART i.e. Autonomous Rail Transit while the vehicle has been labelled as a “Smart Bus” by CRRC. It’s a 30-meter long bus which is operated electrically and is fitted with sensors that follow the virtual rails on the road while adapting to the surroundings and situations in real time.

China’s railcar maker CRRC has recently unveiled this bus-rail combo road transit system in Zhuzhou, Hunan province. The Chinese Rail Corporation began designing this system in 2013 and it has been successfully tested and is now under introduction.

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Apart from being fast, this rail less transit is highly economical in terms of its construction. It takes 400-700 Million Yuan i.e. USD 58-102 Million to build one kilometer of subway while the electric streetcars carry a development cost of around 150-200 Million Yuan per km. However, ART i.e. Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit will cost one-fifth of the amount of a conventional metro. As per the reports, a standard-length ART bus can be constructed with just 15 Million Yuan i.e. USD 2.2 Million or even less.

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This vehicle developed by CRRC is a hybrid of a bus and train with a certain resemblance to a Tram. It’s fitted with rubber wheels and travels on the road much like a regular bus with a larger carrying capacity. The carriages on the vehicle can be altered by adding or removing carriages depending upon the requirement.

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Dimensionally, it’s 3.4 meters high, 2.65 meters wide, and 31.64 meters long. Besides, it has a safe channel width of 3.83 meters and a minimum turning radius of 15 meters which renders flexibility in its movements, particularly while taking turns. An important aspect of its design is that the body structure of this smart bus is claimed to have a long life of 25+ years implying economic viability.

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Moving to the interiors of the smart bus, there is a lot of space with a carrying capacity of 307 passengers. A unique feature of the vehicle is that its carriages are detachable, thereby allowing the flexibility to add or remove carriages as per the requirement.

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Further, there are baby and mother priority seats along with adequate space for passengers in a wheelchair. From inside, it appears much like a subway fitted with digital displays, comfortable seats, and an adequate amount of space.

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Key Features

·?????? Collision Warning System

·?????? Driverless autonomous vehicle

·?????? Lane Departure Warning System

·?????? Electronic Rearview Mirror

·?????? Route Change Authorization

·?????? No physical track limit of the transit enabling flexible operations

·?????? Intelligent signal communication and control for priority pass

·?????? Multi-axle steering system

·?????? Autonomous Rail less Traction

·?????? Low construction cost and environment-friendly

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Since it’s an autonomous, all-electrical vehicle, the role of the powertrain is played by the batteries. The smart bus is packed with lithium titanate batteries and there is flash charging facility which enables the railless train to cover more than 25kms i.e. 15 miles in just 10 minutes of charging. Moreover, with full charge, the vehicle can cover up to 40kms. As far as the top speed is concerned, the needle on the speedometer of the autonomous train can cross 43 mph or 70 kmph.

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Automated Rail Transit is a non-polluting, rail-less, and driver-less vehicle that is expected to reduce traffic congestion in the highly populated cities of China.

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If things turn out as per the plans, this train could become a huge success in the coming years. Owing to its low development cost and a large carrying capacity, China’s road congestion can be reduced significantly. Besides, the vehicle is not only environment-friendly but it can also stand various kinds of weather conditions.

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All the above factors make CRRC’s ART an ideal system for suburb to downtown transit. However, it’s too soon to tell as to how far China’s technology would be driven by this hybrid, smart bus.

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Here are more pictures for you:

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