Whoosh is a new elevated transport option that is being developed in New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
A Kiwi company aims to revolutionise how we travel by offering transport that glides above congested roads and streets.
For the past five years, Christchurch-based company Whoosh has been quietly developing “a new vision for the future of transport”.
Whoosh chief executive Dr Chris Allington said the project has been “largely kept under wraps” over the past five years.
At first glance, Whoosh resembles a gondola but Allington said the autonomous electric vehicle is distinctly different.
“Whoosh uses a lightweight guideway that has fixed cables, not moving ones like gondolas. Our vehicles cruise along the guideway, driving themselves fully autonomously and only travelling when needed,” said Allington.
The vehicles can bypass stations, taking riders directly to where they want to go without stopping.
Using the Whoosh app, riders can hail or pre-book their ride. Once on board, passengers can glide to their chosen destination on a nonstop ride with 360-degree views.
The technology has caught the attention of former Google transportation executive, Jeral Poskey who said he “had to be onboard right away”.
“Being at Google, my team had the opportunity to evaluate nearly every emerging transportation technology out there ... seeing Whoosh for the first time and measuring how it stacked up in the market - it was just obvious to me that it had the potential to make a big change for the industry,” said Poskey.
In addition to being a fraction of the costs of other transport options like light rail, the technology also uses 50% less energy compared to road-based EVs. This is because they offer a higher average occupancy and travel nonstop. Avoiding wasted energy from stopping, braking, or traffic jams.
The low footprint and minimal guideway also allow the systems to be installed along existing roads without disrupting or impacting current travel options.
“We designed Whoosh … to seamlessly fit within existing urban environments and to work in conjunction with existing travel options,” Allington said.
The technology is being launched today in their Hornby factory, where a functioning prototype will be available to ride in.
Queenstown residents can anticipate the first installation of Whoosh in the Remarkables Park.
“We will start work on the first Whoosh installation at Remarkables Park in Queenstown very soon,” said Allington.
Officers were photographed helping to paint protest signs.