Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Overhead podcars are at least 40% more efficient than typical electric car, and that means fewer emissions. Or no emissions at all, if the system is installed with enough solar panels to power the vehicles. And the light-weight infrastructure is easy on the environment.
What makes PRT so efficient?
Constant Speed: Imagine what it takes to travel from Watsonville to Santa Cruz in 40 minutes. This would be a constant 30 mph nonstop for a PRT podcar, while a train or bus would need higher speed to make up for stops along the way. PRT’s lower speed (for the same performance) means less wind resistance, saving energy.
Lightweight Vehicle: Buses, cars, and trains are engineered to withstand a collision, but the PRT system makes collisions nearly impossible. This allows a potentially much lighter-weight vehicle with less “dead weight” to move.
Fewer empty seats in motion: During off-peak hours, trains and buses tend to include a lot of empty seats. An enormous amount of energy is expended moving these near-empty vehicles around. PRT podcars move only when needed, providing on-demand service instead of maintaining a schedule.
Just add solar: Solar panels built into or onto the system can provide enough energy to power the system, and more!
Little-known fact: Buses in the United States carry an average of 9.2 passengers and actually use 20% more energy per passenger-mile than automobiles. Commuter rail averages 32.7 passengers per vehicle and 20% less energy per passenger mile than automobiles. (source) We can do better, with PRT!
Climate Resiliance
Overhead infrastructure is available for use, even when the streets are flooded below.