Topic: “What is Transportation Technology” What comes to the mind when you think of life-changing technological innovations in transportation? Henry Ford Model T? All of these answers will be correct. The point is that these technologies have wholly upended the transportation status quo and had lasting effects on how we get around.
Innovations in transportation technology have arisen primarily from three imperatives: efficiency, ease, and security. Scientists and transportation industry professionals work hand in hand to ensure these new technologies also get more people (or things) to the destination faster, safer, and with the least resources.
Types of Transportation Technology
Innovation in the transportation technology is at an all-time high, with the creative solutions helping us get down the block, and across the country or the world, and even into outer space. Check out some of the most innovative modes of transportation below.
Hyperloops
Hyperloops are a proposed method for transporting passengers or cargo that uses electric propulsion and low-pressure tubes to glide faster than commercial aircraft. Using magnets to drive the passenger tube significantly reduces the energy and financial costs needed to operate the technology. However, Hyperloops are still in their infancy, with top speeds of only half the suggested 750 mph.
Digging underground tunnels
Underground Crossing, popularized by Elon Musk, is precisely what it sounds like; Transporting people or things through extensive systems of underground tunnels. Musk’s Boring Company (derived from Musk sat in Los Angeles traffic) is an infrastructure and tunnel construction company that builds underground paths for cars to travel through at higher speeds and with less traffic. So far, the company has approved a project connecting downtown Chicago traffic with O’Hare Airport and a project that will move from Baltimore to Washington, DC.
The space
The transportation technology that is getting the most excitement at the moment is space. Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and the Virgin Galactic are battling to be the first to offer commercial spaceflight. You no longer have to be the NASA astronaut to live out your childhood dream of flying through outer space.
The advent of commercial spaceflight has led to a series of incredible technological advances, including reusable rocket boosters. Initially, missile ships would drop their advocates about two minutes after takeoff. These reinforcements were one-time and would return to Earth in a smoldering pile. SpaceX has the designed boosters that gently propel themselves to Earth with excellent accuracy.
Self-driving vehicles
The battle over self-driving vehicles is also heating up, with nearly every big-name car manufacturer and startup vying to create the first mass-produced wave of self-driving vehicles. Imagine getting into your car, punching in the address, sitting back, and letting the car take you to your endpoint without having to touch the steering wheel or feel nervous while navigating through traffic. That was an elusive dream for decades. Now, it has become a reality.
Last Mile Bots
Transportation technology isn’t just about transporting people. It can also include technology that helps move our packages and products from point A to point B. For example, last-mile robots are among the most significant advances in transportation technology for the shipping industry.
Electric car
Electric vehicles have a significant impact on how we get around, whether it’s around town or across the country. Tesla and Nissan popularized the electric vehicle, which runs strictly on battery power to contact us where we need to go. Instead of refueling at the gas station, electric cars need to charge a battery to get it back on the road. Today’s most advanced electric vehicles can go from 150 to 350 miles on a single charge. These vehicles are great examples of transportation technology because it fundamentally changes how vehicles operate and how they operate.
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