Art, the tram that does not need rails and drivers

Tested in China, it could soon go to boost the local public transport service of Zhuzhou City

On paper, it acts like a tram, or a subway, strictly following your route. Yet he has no need for rails or even a driver. In Hunan province, central China, the world’s first self-guided tram that was able to travel on a common road was introduced, following – and here is the novelty – the simple horizontal signage painted on the asphalt.

The convoy in question, realized by Crrc and Art (Autonomous Rail Transit), measures 30 meters in length, can travel at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour and can carry up to 300 passengers. As its color suggests, green light is absolutely ecofriendly, being powered electrically, and is currently capable of covering a distance of about 40 kilometers per charge.

Art is equipped with an optical sensor capable of recognizing the signs on the asphalt, and has been tested on a closed circuit, as you can see from the video below, made by the Vocativ portal. At present it is a prototype, but it could soon take up service in the streets of Zhuzhou, to boost local public service: a 6.5-kilometer cross-country route would have been planned.

428 thoughts on “Art, the tram that does not need rails and drivers

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