If you imagined a bus that looks like a semi-truck and functions like a train, you’d have the BladeRunner DM/LHV road/rail concept dual-mode vehicle. This people-mover of the future is designed to transport freight and/or 105 passengers both on the roads and on railways.
The BladeRunner road/rail vehicle is designed to be efficient in every endeavor. Its hybrid-electric, diesel engine and electric motor cuts way down on the fuel a typical semi truck or train would use. Its retractable rail wheels allow the truck to follow a train track, but the truck tires still control acceleration and deceleration--two actions that waste copious amounts of energy in traditional trains. And unlike regular trains, if the BladeRunner driver sees an obstacle on the train track, he can drive off of the track to negotiate the vehicle’s way around it.
Carl Henderson of Silvertip Design heads up the BladeRunner road/rail vehicle. He is backed by freight body and trail builder Don Bur, Stoke-on-Trend and England’s Department of Trade and Industry.
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