Superbus on course for 2008 launch

Currently being developed in the Netherlands by the AeroSpace for Sustainable Engineering and Technology department at Delft University, led by Professor Wubbo Ockels, the Superbus is a 250kph (155 mph) electric bus designed to be used on both ordinary roads and dedicated ‘supertracks’.

Streamlined

It is as wide and long as a standard city bus, but it is only 1.7 metres high, with the sleek, smooth appearance of a stretched out sports car. Another notable feature is that it has no central aisle. Instead, each of the 30-odd seats has its own door.

The advanced design, low ceiling and the lightweight materials used mean that Superbus is incredibly streamlined, which in turn means that it requires only a modest electric motor for power. However, crucially, engineers have not yet decided whether the motor will be fuel cell or battery driven.

Either way, the environmental impact of the Superbus will be much smaller than a high speed train’s, for example, because energy consumption will be much lower, emission levels with be virtually nil and the construction of the high speed infrastructure will cost less than high speed train tracks.

Set-back
That last point is particularly pertinent given that last year the Dutch government scrapped the intended initial ‘supertrack’ route for the Superbus from Amsterdam to the northern city of Groningen. But despite the set-back, the project received an extra €7 million in government funding and a further €1 million from local bus company Connexxion.