Zars: Cars that form Trains

You have heard of hydrogen and bio fueled, electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars. Have you wondered about their cost, energy efficiency and environmental impact? Do you think about issues related to cars upon which the energy source has little bearing? This talk is about zars, a proposed kind of car that can physically hitch with others having compatible coupling devices. Zars are so named because they would use about one-third as much road space as conventional cars and ought to be granted privileges – like hybrid access to HOV lanes - that someday allow them to “rule the road”. It should be possible to join such auto-trains while moving even at highway speeds. A typical trip will involve coupling with several trains and also conventional operation as a single car. The zar trains would be equipped with electronics that help to prevent collisions and driven in an orderly manner. They would usher in the era of automated driving because the drivers in the follower vehicles would be off duty. Physical coupling will facilitate aerodynamic streamlining and, because the followers may expect lead vehicles to have engines, encourage the use of all-electric cars using relatively small, light batteries. As the number of electric vehicles grows, it will likely become economic to power the highways using relatively high efficiency grid electricity coming from sources other than oil. The electrification of heavily traveled roads will probably be more cost effective than putting a la

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