China Plans Huge Buses That Can DRIVE OVER Cars (PHOTOS)

China has overtaken the United States as the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gases and biggest energy consumer.

But the country is also thinking in big and bold ways when it comes to how it will reduce pollution and a new plan to build a "straddling bus" is among the most space-age schemes yet.

In an effort to go green and relieve congestion without widening roads, the Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment company is developing a "3D Express Coach" (also known as a "three-dimensional fast bus").

The innovation will allow cars less than 2 meters high to travel underneath the upper level of the vehicle, which will be carrying passengers (PHOTOS).

According to China Hush, the 6-meter-wide 3D Express Coach will be powered by a combination of electricity and solar energy, and will be able to travel up to 60 kilometers per hour carrying some 1200 to 1400 passengers.

The first 115 miles of track is set for construction in Beijing's Mentougou district starting in late 2010. The Chairman of the Huashi Future Parking Equipment company boasts it will take only a year and 500 million yuan (around $73 million) to build the futuristic transportation system.

IN PHOTOS: See more pictures of the futuristic bus here.

Comments

[frisbeeredcat]

07:34 PM on 08/11/2010

How do you know the cars don't just get eaten up as they are overtaken by the large bus?
Now, that's solving the greenhouse gas problem!

[Austin Jeffries]

02:37 PM on 08/06/2010

No problem no gardrail. China engineers in front of world as usual again! PRc leadership the best in design for bus and train and air-plane. Indian will fail in their tech atempt.

[Fahim Hasan]

05:10 PM on 08/05/2010

This is a nice idea but there are some flaws. How is the bus going to make turns without damaging other cars? Also how are people who are handicap walk into the bus?

[jerrypl]

09:10 AM on 08/04/2010

I think it is a great idea. To prevent the "bus", or rather trolley, from being involved in an accident, a guard rail is shown on the curb side of the rendering. Now if a guard rail was on the inner lane side, that would help, as well. If there were an accident underneath, the trolley would just keep moving.

http://eye-on-washington.blogspot.com

[Ahmed Ahmad]

11:48 AM on 08/04/2010

You are incorrect. On the left side, there is no guard rail.
On the right side, the rail appears to pass inside the train structure, like a guide-rail.

Even if the right side rail was intended to be a guide rail (not supported by the drawings), it would only take a section of a crashing car to bump against the openings on a moving side wall for a small accident to turn into a major crash. This is NOT good design.

[Ahmed Ahmad]

11:50 AM on 08/04/2010

Correction to previous post:

"Even if the right side rail was intended to be a guide rail ..." should be read as
"Even if the right side rail was intended to be a guard rail ..."

[Ken Chan]

12:54 AM on 08/04/2010

so....what happens if there's a car accident under the bus? I think this idea is uneducated and irrational.

[Ahmed Ahmad]

06:00 AM on 08/04/2010

Agreed. I'm appalled that such a dangerous solution would be considered.