Heathrow Airport Introduce Driverless Transport System
Heathrow are attempting to reduce congestion on the transport buses by introducing a new traffic system for the airport. The system being created is the first of it’s kind, it will feature over 20 electric shuttles that will have no need for drivers.
The 21 shuttles will be limited to a two and a half mile track thats links the business car park to the Terminal 5. Each shuttle carries 4 passengers, as well as their luggage, travelling at 25mph, the system is targeted to carry over 500,000 passengers every year.
Advanced Transport Systems Ltd, alongside Bristol University, is the company that are developing the state-of-the-art transport system. They claim that the shuttles are comfortable to use and environmentally friendly because they use computers and laser guidance technology to get to the destination.
The new system is the spark that will begin the production of fully automated, driverless cars that will deliver us to anywhere we want. It now seems that a system like we see in films such as Minority Report and I-Robot is becoming more like reality.
As this technology becomes more and more advanced, we could see our lives saved as our driverless cars can plan ahead and avoid any traffic collisions. Despite these changes sounding great for us, whether the car sector and the contract hire industry will like this change is another matter.
With all the trouble already in the motoring industry, the last thing manufacturers and companies offer cheap van leasing will want is to be required to build new driverless vehicles. Although many motoring companies won’t welcome the changes, with technology being the way it is, in the near future companies will be required to offer a driverless BMW lease.
