Skytran Personal/Mass Transportation Systems
A private high-speed transportation system for the publicPrivate: Once boarded, a SkyTran becomes your private vehicle. You decide exactly where you want the computer chauffeur to take you. No stopping at each station to let some people off and new people on. No more concerns about unsavory types riding along with you. Your vehicle travels overhead on a monorail freeway, safely above all other traffic and only exits this freeway to slow down and stop at your selected destination station. Timely: Two-passenger SkyTran vehicles will be in abundance at each station — you just get in and go — no more waiting for a scheduled bus or train and no more rushing to make that schedule time. One secret to the SkyTran MagLev transportation concept is the use of extremely light weight, advanced composite, 200 pound, non-polluting, pure electric powered vehicles that are super streamlined. Efficient: While traveling at a steady 100 mph on an overhead monorail track system, a SkyTran achieves outstanding energy efficiency equivalent to up to 200 mpg. Users will spend less per week commuting by SkyTran than they typically pay just for the gasoline in their personal cars. Plus there is no insurance, license, maintenance, daily parking fees or depreciation costs! MagLev Technology: Most important is the use of MagLev technology (Magnetic Levitation) which was first developed in the 1930's. MagLev is now finally practical from a cost standpoint because of the last decade’s developments of ever more economical and powerful computers. The MagLev derivative utilized by the SkyTran system uses an electromagnetic field to suspend the SkyTran vehicle instead of rubber tires touching a road surface. Everyone knows car tires are inflated with air at high pressure to maintain their shape and will deflate when punctured. Also, the very best of tires must still be replaced every 60,000 miles from the constant wear caused by acceleration, cornering and braking. A SkyTran MagLev vehicle, on the other hand, never even contacts its guideway while accelerating, traveling at 100 mph, exiting/merging or braking to a stop.Traveling by SkyTran is just like driving your own car to work — but faster, cheaper and safer! And you don’t even have to drive it — each SkyTran vehicle has a super attentive computer acting as your personal chauffeur. A thousand times each second your chauffeur makes decisions to ensure your safety: continually checking on other nearby SkyTran vehicles; rechecking the vehicle’s electrical and mechanical health; and rechecking that the current fastest route to your selected destination remains uncongested ahead. Most importantly, your computer chauffeur never daydreams or gets distracted!
Solid-State Transportation System: There are no tires or gears in a SkyTran vehicle nor any other mechanical drive systems that will continually wear out or need lubrication. The vehicle itself is the only moving part! SkyTran is a pure solid state transportation system. Another valuable feature of the MagLev system used by SkyTran is that it does not utilize the externally electrified track common in subway systems.
All power transfer to the SkyTran propulsion system is located inside the SkyTran hollow guideway as is the linear drive system itself. This means people (and even birds that land on the SkyTran track) cannot be electrocuted by touching the guideway . The outside of the guideway carries no current whatsoever!
The SkyTran Pod: The small, lightweight, super streamlined SkyTran vehicles take you non-stop to your destination at a steady 100 MPH on the SkyTran overhead freeway! A single lane of computer driven SkyTran vehicles carries as many commuters per hour as three-lanes of surface freeway automobile traffic with no accidents, traffic jams or speeding violations.
Ingress/Egress Ergonomics: SkyTran will be much easier to get in and out of than an automobile. First of all, when boarding at a station, the SkyTran seat height is ergonomically positioned to be exactly at standard chair height above the ground. Also, one will not have to lower themselves over a ridge and down into the seat as required in the typical automobile. And unlike a car, the hinged door will not be partially blocking the entryway as a person places his legs inside to sit down (or swings them out to stand up).
