Driving Innovation Petrol prices are soaring and insurance is through the roof. So what does the future hold for transport? EMMA BIGG “So, to move you need to lean forward.” Balanced precariously on a Segway X2 platform (right), an obscure two-wheeled scooter with handlebars and a platform no wider than your shoulders to stand on, this is not what I wanted to hear. “But what if I fall off?” As a person with a slight tendency to trip over nothing at all, the very idea of potentially unbalancing the eco-friendly personal transporter was not particularly appealing. Although it would make quite a story if I fell off of it, I fortunately didn’t. It’s almost impossible to fall off of a Segway thanks to its highly advanced, self balancing gyroscopic technology… Unless you’re former US President George W. Bush of course, who
famously took a tumble from one. But then again unlike George, I have not dropped my pet dog and know that ‘entrepreneur’ is a French word. Bush-bashing aside, the Segway i2 is a pretty cool alternative to your usual personal transport. Founded in 1999 by Dean Kamen, Segway has been exploring the potentials of green technology for over a decade and offering its electric personal transporters to the general public in an attempt to revolutionise the way we travel. Intuitive and eco-friendly, Segways can reach a speed of 12.5mph and with dynamic stabilisation, electric propulsion and advanced sensing, make the experience of travelling a more pleasant experience.
Segway/General Motors EN-V prototype
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A Segway i2 or X2 is 11 times more efficient than the average car and its carbon footprint and emissions are significantly lower, showing that the future of transportation is certainly green. However, as Segways are only able to carry one person, so the company has teamed up with US car giant General Motors to create the EN-V prototype in an attempt to create larger vehicles that solve the problems of congestion and emissions cars create. In addition to this, many other car companies such as Ford, GM Chevrolet, Nissan and Toyota have embraced the importance of sustainable transport, launching electric and hybrid vehicles at this year’s North American Motor Show in Detroit. While these vehicles are all available now, automotive engineers, scientists and designers are still working hard on future transport solutions, air and hydrogen powered cars in particular. Sebastiano Russo, designer at Audi believes that “gasoline is the fuel of the past. Every major company is investing a great deal in researching new technologies: green, eco-friendly solutions, new techniques such as air flow and general sustainable technologies.” The concept of ‘air flow’ is Russo’s baby. By using compressed air as an
alternative to the electric car, the vehicle converts energy into airpressure, which is then used to propel the car forward. It is not just the USA, Japan and Germany that are leading the way in green technology; Britain has a part to play too. Thanks to Coventry University graduate Phillip Dean, Jaguar have just released details of their C-XC concept car. Sleek, roomy and powerful, the car is run on hydrogen fuel cells and made from eco-friendly materials. While it has only been built as a concept car thus far, it gives us an idea of what transport will look like in the very near future. It seems that green is here to stay; the next step is embracing it.