Superbus Electric 'Sports Bus' Now Road Legal, Ready For UAE

By Antony Ingram

Antony Ingram

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Antony is an automotive obsessive: Whether it drives, sits there looking pretty or intrigues from afar, he'll talk and write about it. Automotive... More

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Abu Dhabi to Dubai electric Superbus

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Superbus!

Buses aren't normally the most exciting method of transport. Though popular in Europe, in the U.S. they're more often regarded as something to be avoided at all costs.

Maybe we'd be more keen to ride the bus if it was a Superbus?

It looks hugely cool for a start--like something straight out of a science-fiction movie. In fact, it's so futuristic it's almost a little disappointing to discover it still needs someone to actually drive it. With that sharp front end it's a bit more aerodynamic than your regular square-fronted bus though, and has a nose to scare supercar drivers out the way on the highway too.

It's also greener, explains The National (via Green Prophet). Like the induction-charged Italian buses, Superbus is electric. Designed to be used out in the United Arab Emirates, it has enough range to complete the 75-mile journey between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in only 30 minutes. Top speed is a very un-bus-like 155 mph.

According to its makers at the Netherlands' Delft University of Technology, where the bus is now road-legal, Superbus will almost be energy-independent too--thanks to the UAE's long days of intense sunshine, Superbus will be charged using energy from solar power.

Naturally, none of this comes cheap. Think of it as the Concorde or Bugatti Veyron of buses--the pinnacle of a method of transportation, aimed at the wealthy, for the ultimate bus experience. There's only space for 23 passengers, each of whom gets their own luxurious seat--no vomit-stained benches here. Access is via eight gull-wing doors.

The bus will even get it's own high-speed lane, allowing it to cruise past regular traffic. That will likely be the major draw, allowing businesspeople living in each city to get to their office in Abu Dhabi or Dubai in no time at all.

Who needs individual cars when public transport is this good?...

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