I went on the pod once again and I noticed a slight door malfunction in pod 206. The draught excluder was coming off which made it difficult for the door to close.
@L1verpool10 Air con had a glitch during testing in June, but has since been fixed. And you *do* see me -- I'm the big bloke from 0:57 to 1:07. Only ten seconds of fame -- where's my 15 minutes?!?
i was lucky enough to be a test participant on Saturday and i have to say i absolutely loved the system. Its so quick, easy to use. I felt like i was using one of the pods from The Incredible movie :) I doubt i will ever take public transport to the airport again when flying to/from T5
So, how does it manage snow and ice? Any result of that?
A swedish examination of PRT systems say there are only one who can mannage snow and ice. And yeas, it's not only in scandinavia there are snow in the winter :-)
Check nyteknik se / nyheter / fordon_motor / jarnvag / article268938.ece and watch?v=3J-S_YYuNBU
@Badsellcut It is fully operational, but the airport doesn't want to open a new system during their busiest season, so the public can't yet ride it. Soon, soon....
Dang... When is this technology gonna come to the US??? Hey, can y'all consult with dart on a deal or something? I really want this to take me to school and 2 mah friendz house every day!
@TodayHi1953 We've got a branch in the US, and they're working hard to bring ULTra there. Unfortunately, transportation projects always take longer to develop than people expect, so it's probably going to be a while before we come to your exact home town. But we *are* coming, so be patient. :-)
@hemustvthemes2008 You'll certainly see it in operation next month, but unfortunately it will still be reserved for airport employees at that point. The best place to get a view of it in operation is from the café at the northwest corner of the T5 departures floor. When it does open to the public, it will be free to use.
I was wondering. Why not use commonly manufactured vehicles and existing highways for personal rapid transit purposes? (That'd be interesting, especially if someone converts antique autos... imagine, podcars with tailfins...)
@Rickyrab Contrary to a lot of hype out there, robotically-driven vehicle are decades away from being able to safely intermingle with human-driven vehicles. So it's very important that we operate in an exclusive guideway (which takes far less space than a road, and can be cheaper to build). We make our own custom vehicles so that they can be extremely lightweight, which saves energy and allows our guideway to be lighter and cheaper as well.
@Rickyrab It's already in part-time use by airport employees. It will officially go into full-time service by the end of June, but will still only be for airport employees for a while after that. We're doing a soft roll-out on this.
@wrcousert The vehicles use small battery packs, to minimize weight. This means they have relatively limited range - about 30 kms. But every time they dock at a station, they instantly begin recharging, while people get off and on the vehicle. So the battery is frequently being topped up. A typical 5-minute trip takes 1 minute to fully recharge from. If the vehicles don't get a full recharge each time, they can still take many successive journeys before needing a longer time to recharge.
@ollebertom We've done many tests with luggage, even before the Heathrow system was built -- that helped us determine the best vehicle design. We've since done many passenger trials with luggage; this just wasn't one of them.
@757K Well, it was certainly a successful test, which is to say that we accomplished everything we'd set out to, and also learned some things that will allow us to offer an even better service. There have been many more (and different) passenger trials since then, although not with the video crews around. But more videos should be forthcoming soon!
@jcsaintpo Yes, the entire system is completely wheelchair-accessible, with no special arrangements necessary. That was one of the design requirements from day one. Next time you're at Heathrow, I hope you give it a try!
I went on the pod once again and I noticed a slight door malfunction in pod 206. The draught excluder was coming off which made it difficult for the door to close.
L1verpool10 4 months ago
cool vid man but air on dont work. and we never see u!
L1verpool10 4 months ago
@L1verpool10 Air con had a glitch during testing in June, but has since been fixed. And you *do* see me -- I'm the big bloke from 0:57 to 1:07. Only ten seconds of fame -- where's my 15 minutes?!?
nathankoren 4 months ago
@nathankoren LOL! But I went on the pod during October.
L1verpool10 4 months ago
I'd love to see these in America... maybe replacing my city's terrible subway system.
puffpet 1 year ago
i was lucky enough to be a test participant on Saturday and i have to say i absolutely loved the system. Its so quick, easy to use. I felt like i was using one of the pods from The Incredible movie :) I doubt i will ever take public transport to the airport again when flying to/from T5
Gordyuk 1 year ago
So, how does it manage snow and ice? Any result of that?
A swedish examination of PRT systems say there are only one who can mannage snow and ice. And yeas, it's not only in scandinavia there are snow in the winter :-)
Check nyteknik se / nyheter / fordon_motor / jarnvag / article268938.ece and watch?v=3J-S_YYuNBU
andjack 1 year ago
Damn if I'd of known I'd of volunteered for that!
explorer47422 1 year ago
Nathan, I saw it working whilst at T5 last month - is it fully operational now?
Badsellcut 1 year ago
@Badsellcut It is fully operational, but the airport doesn't want to open a new system during their busiest season, so the public can't yet ride it. Soon, soon....
nathankoren 1 year ago
i hope testing is going ok, and it will open for public soon!
jcsaintpo 1 year ago
More videos, more videos! :)
eof12 1 year ago
Could a large scale ULTRa system replace the NYC subway system, or would the limited battery life make that impractical?
wrcousert 1 year ago
Well, I recommend you start with DART in Dallas, terrible system there, and Sound Transit. They are pretty small.
TodayHi1953 1 year ago
Dang... When is this technology gonna come to the US??? Hey, can y'all consult with dart on a deal or something? I really want this to take me to school and 2 mah friendz house every day!
TodayHi1953 1 year ago
@TodayHi1953 We've got a branch in the US, and they're working hard to bring ULTra there. Unfortunately, transportation projects always take longer to develop than people expect, so it's probably going to be a while before we come to your exact home town. But we *are* coming, so be patient. :-)
nathankoren 1 year ago
@hemustvthemes2008 You'll certainly see it in operation next month, but unfortunately it will still be reserved for airport employees at that point. The best place to get a view of it in operation is from the café at the northwest corner of the T5 departures floor. When it does open to the public, it will be free to use.
nathankoren 1 year ago
I was wondering. Why not use commonly manufactured vehicles and existing highways for personal rapid transit purposes? (That'd be interesting, especially if someone converts antique autos... imagine, podcars with tailfins...)
Rickyrab 1 year ago
@Rickyrab Contrary to a lot of hype out there, robotically-driven vehicle are decades away from being able to safely intermingle with human-driven vehicles. So it's very important that we operate in an exclusive guideway (which takes far less space than a road, and can be cheaper to build). We make our own custom vehicles so that they can be extremely lightweight, which saves energy and allows our guideway to be lighter and cheaper as well.
nathankoren 1 year ago
@nathankoren decades :D thats why robotic google car now is allowed to drive in Nevada. And the test card did a tons of miles without any problems.
kreutzere 8 months ago
so when are you putting the new PRT into service?
Rickyrab 1 year ago
@Rickyrab It's already in part-time use by airport employees. It will officially go into full-time service by the end of June, but will still only be for airport employees for a while after that. We're doing a soft roll-out on this.
nathankoren 1 year ago
What about battery life? How far can a vehicle go on a single charge? How long does it take to fully recharge?
wrcousert 1 year ago
@wrcousert The vehicles use small battery packs, to minimize weight. This means they have relatively limited range - about 30 kms. But every time they dock at a station, they instantly begin recharging, while people get off and on the vehicle. So the battery is frequently being topped up. A typical 5-minute trip takes 1 minute to fully recharge from. If the vehicles don't get a full recharge each time, they can still take many successive journeys before needing a longer time to recharge.
nathankoren 1 year ago
A test without the passengers carrying any luggage is not much of a test.
ollebertom 1 year ago
@ollebertom We've done many tests with luggage, even before the Heathrow system was built -- that helped us determine the best vehicle design. We've since done many passenger trials with luggage; this just wasn't one of them.
nathankoren 1 year ago
They said it could never be done...
The PRT revolution is well on it's way!
trisk77 1 year ago
Looks like a good job, will look out for it when next at T5. Amused to see the pods drive on the right....!
maidbloke 1 year ago
@maidbloke
Why are those things taking a side of the road not common in Britain, anyway?
Rickyrab 1 year ago
@757K Well, it was certainly a successful test, which is to say that we accomplished everything we'd set out to, and also learned some things that will allow us to offer an even better service. There have been many more (and different) passenger trials since then, although not with the video crews around. But more videos should be forthcoming soon!
nathankoren 1 year ago 2
curious to know if it's easy to enter with an electic wheelchair!
would be great not to have to wait for a special taxi, or ask 24h in advance for an adapted bus at a given hour!
jcsaintpo 1 year ago 6
@jcsaintpo Yes, the entire system is completely wheelchair-accessible, with no special arrangements necessary. That was one of the design requirements from day one. Next time you're at Heathrow, I hope you give it a try!
nathankoren 1 year ago 2
FUN
mobius1234 1 year ago