What we first believed to be just an engineering exercise is slowly gaining speed and turning into a project which just might change the world as we know it.
The Superbus project, an endeavor meant to create the perfect means of mass transportation, capable of traveling at speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph), is set to be officially presented by Delft University of Technology in Germany.
The vehicle is already being tested by Dutch inventor Wubbo Ockels and his team of engineers and students. The last test, conducted at Lelystad in the Netherlands, saw the vehicle reach a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).
The vehicle is being financially backed by the Dutch government which, according to The Telegraph, already invested a considerable amount of money into the development of the Superbus. The goal is to have the vehicle on the roads in the Netherlands as soon as possible.
Capable of traveling at speeds on dedicated stretches of road the Superbus can seat 23 people. It is built on an aluminum frame wrapped in carbon fiber and features an innovative, variable ground clearance, which allows it to lower itself to a distance of only 7 cm for better aerodynamics while speeding.
The Superbus uses 750 sensors to detect everything from passengers not wearing their seatbelts to objects on the road. It uses electric motors powered by lithium polymer batteries, which give the bus a range of 210 km (130 miles) and a peak output of 600 kW for one minute (804 hp).
The interior of the Superbus is expected to be similar to the comfort offered by the business class in an aircraft.
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