Photo Credit: Wired
Wired has a story about pod cars! Awesome. Pod cars are one of those things ubiquitous in science fiction (like humanoid robots) that just never come to be. In contrast, computer technology has advanced so far in the past generation that older science fiction resembles some sort of alternative history where Apple didn't transform home computing more than extrapolation from the present.
Granted, I don't have much of an opinion on the feasibility of pod cars. Nor do I really care. It just would be fun to have a little bit of Logan's Run around (mind you, just a little bit).
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There's a really good essay about self-driving cars: http://www.templetons.com/brad/robocars/
I personally think that robo-cars will be the best thing since the invention of sliced bread :)
The type of pod cars shown in the photo have the disadvantage of being expensive and, honestly, unnecessary. You have an infrastructure that's expensive in resources, and which people just don't see as necessary.
The other sort of pod car---the one where an otherwise ordinary car drives itself---is at present not ready for prime-time. The technology is coming, but it's not here yet.
And when it is here, getting people to adopt it is going to be another problem entirely.
Ahh, well that's where the Sandmen come in. They can be quite persuasive.
Tim Pawlenty, the governor of Minnesota, proposed a study for constructing PRT in MN, mostly along the interstate system. However, it never got off the ground. Looks cool though.
TRAIX. Anything else is just blowing smoke.
Traix: 1/2 Pedaling 1/2 electric or air powered, attachable (from single to two seater to bus to train), all linked together but separable on command (push-button), rides on regular roads or bike trails, tracks not needed, GPS navigable. Won't happen until fuel prices get really high though.
re: Alan Kellogg
Actually the type of podcar system shown is in the range of $10-15M per mile capital costs, because it uses a minimalist approach in terms of resource use. The pods are light since they don't have engines and transmission, and therefore the supporting rail ('guideway') is also lighter and less expensive too.
Podcars would provide rail-like service to a network of small closely spaced stations, ideally 4-5 per square mile, but without the impact of large infrastructure. In addition, elevated operation simplifies the problem of avoiding collisions with pedestrians, nonmotorized traffic and animals.
Podcars are essentially a train system that is chopped into little segments, conserving energy because each segment only moves when needed.
Podcars would be part of the overall transit system, whereas self-drives would be an extension of the existing system of privately owned vehicles.
Re: Mr Grant.
I agree with most of what you write, but to say that PRT is rail-like service is very misleading if you don't know how the concept works. Instead PRT is like taxi-service but you have to walk to the nearest stop to catch a podcar. On the other hand you don't risk being stuck in traffic.
When it comes to Robo-cars there is no telling when these can be approved for driving in traffic. If you compare with airlines where planes have been able to do complete flights automatically for decades but still are not allowed to fly without pilots it seems that the outlook for robo-cars being allowed in regular streets are quite bleak.