BMW’s ‘hyperloop’ for BIKES revealed

For most people, living in big cities cycling on busy roads can be a treacherous way to get around.

To try and alleviate this problem, BMW has released a futuristic vision of how elevated tubes could encourage commuters to safely travel around cities on e-bikes and electric scooters.

The company compares this concept to Elon Musk’s Hyperloop, claiming it could help reduce congestion, pollution and mean two-wheeled commuters get to work much faster. 

BMW has released a futuristic vision of how elevated cycleways could encourage commuters to safely whip around cities in Shanghai. Lanes would be accessed by a ramp with barriers to stop bikes entering if the pathways have become to busy

VISION E3 WAY

The company has created plans for two routes in Shanghai together making up more than 12 miles (20 kilometres) of cycleways.  

As well as being connected to the regular road network, the route will be connected to underground stations, other traffic hubs, and even shopping malls.

Lanes would be accessed by a ramp with barriers to stop bikes entering if the pathways have become to busy.  

Cycleways would be constructed using a modular system where sections are built off-site one by one and then lifted into place

 A speed limit of 16mph (25kph) would strictly be enforced and for safety reasons regular pedal bikes would be banned.

The designs are just a concept and there are currently no plans to build the network. 

The project, which BMW calls its concept Vision E3 Way, is the result of collaboration with Shanghai’s Tongji University. The ‘E3’ stands for elevated, electric, and efficient.

The company has created plans for two routes in Shanghai together making up more than 12 miles (20 kilometres) of cycleways.  

As well as being connected to the regular road network, the route will be connected to underground stations, other traffic hubs, and even shopping malls.

Lanes would be accessed by a ramp with barriers to stop bikes entering if the pathways have become to busy. 

‘It’s our Hyperloop,’ Markus Seidel, head of the BMW Technology Office China said.

‘It works by simply creating space for two-wheel zero-emissions traffic,’ he said.

‘In China, more than a billion people will be living in cities by 2050. The country will become the global incubator for numerous mobility innovations such as the BMW Vision E 3 Way’,

The project is ‘open-source’ and would require investment from lots of different sources but the German car manufacturer hopes to collect money from 20 patents associated with the project.

Cycleways would be constructed using a modular system where sections are built off-site one by one and then lifted into place, writes Auto News.

A speed limit of 16mph (25kph) would strictly be enforced and for safety reasons regular pedal bikes would be banned.

The company has created the Active Hybrid e-bike which has a range of 62 miles (100km) and can conveniently reach speeds of 16mph. It would be available to rent on the route.

The company compares this concept to Elon Musk's Hyperloop, claiming it could help reduce congestion, pollution and mean two-wheeled commuters get to work much faster

The company compares this concept to Elon Musk’s Hyperloop, claiming it could help reduce congestion, pollution and mean two-wheeled commuters get to work much faster

The project, which BMW calls its concept Vision E3 Way, is the result of collaboration with Shanghai's Tongji University. The 'E3' stands for elevated, electric, and efficient

The project, which BMW calls its concept Vision E3 Way, is the result of collaboration with Shanghai’s Tongji University. The ‘E3’ stands for elevated, electric, and efficient

It says paths will encourage more people to use e-bikes and would be the fastest way to get around the city for distances less than nine miles (15km).

Paths would be climate-controlled to make sure they stay a comfortable temperature throughout the year.

According to 2014 data, e-bikes account for 20 per cent of journeys in Shanghai and there are already around 250 million being used across the country.

The company has created plans for two routes in Shanghai together making up more than 12 miles (20 kilometres) of cycleways. As well as being connected to the regular road network, the route will be connected to underground stations, other traffic hubs, and even shopping malls.

The company has created plans for two routes in Shanghai together making up more than 12 miles (20 kilometres) of cycleways. As well as being connected to the regular road network, the route will be connected to underground stations, other traffic hubs, and even shopping malls.

Cycleways would be constructed using a modular system where sections are built off-site one by one and then lifted into place. A speed limit of 16mph (25kph) would strictly be enforced and for safety reasons regular pedal bikes would be banned

Cycleways would be constructed using a modular system where sections are built off-site one by one and then lifted into place. A speed limit of 16mph (25kph) would strictly be enforced and for safety reasons regular pedal bikes would be banned

The company says paths will encourage more people to use e-bikes and would be the fastest way to get around the city. Paths would be climate-controlled to make sure they stay a nice temperature throughout the year

The company says paths will encourage more people to use e-bikes and would be the fastest way to get around the city. Paths would be climate-controlled to make sure they stay a nice temperature throughout the year

Earlier this year, the Chinese city of Xiamen opened five miles (8km) of cycleway which has been in operation since January after five months of construction.

‘As urbanization progresses, increasingly more persons are crowding into cities, so typical mobility ideas and native public transportation are reaching the bounds of their functionality,’ a BMW spokesperson said at a launch earlier this week.

‘Congestion and excessive ranges of air air pollution are the consequence, which in flip results in constraints on the standard of life.’

The designs are just a concept and there are currently no plans to build the network.

The company compares this concept to Elon Musk 's Hyperloop. The Hyperloop pod (pictured) will harness passive magnetic levitation and a low pressure tube to hit unprecedented speeds

The company compares this concept to Elon Musk ‘s Hyperloop. The Hyperloop pod (pictured) will harness passive magnetic levitation and a low pressure tube to hit unprecedented speeds

The company has created the Active Hybrid e-bike which has a range of 62 miles (100km) and can conveniently reach speeds of 16mph. It would be available to rent on the route

The company has created the Active Hybrid e-bike which has a range of 62 miles (100km) and can conveniently reach speeds of 16mph. It would be available to rent on the route

 

 

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