Galileo to drive Electro-car public transport system

An international competition to drum-up novel ideas (and generate press, ding!) for the multi-billion-euro Galileo sat-nav system has just completed. The winning entrant, the Electro-car concept, features electrically powered "mini-cars" equipped with highly precise positioning equipment made capable by Galileo's promise of real-time, sub-meter positioning. Punters would use the Internet to track down the nearest vehicle, insert their smartcard to activate it, and leave the vehicle wherever they wanted — the service provider would be responsible for hunting down and recharging the vehicles every few days. Sounds great, however, like all those tried-and-failed community-hippy-bike programs (we jest!), they will have to be sure to seriously safeguard against theft and vandalism. But hey, they have lots of time to sort out the issues since Galileo won't fully deliver until the end of the decade, by which time we'll also have helper bots, artificial eyes, and corn-based laptops... so anything is possible.

[Via smartmobs]

[jayarr_the_motherfcuking_superstar @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

please... make an electric car that isnt slow as sh1t and doesnt look like its already been smashed up and people will buy it FFS!!!

[Whiplash @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

I give them 3 weeks until 90% of the cars are hacked and stolen. The remaining 10% will be bashed up, converted to living quarters for bums, or used as public toilets.

[jacob lawson @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Perhaps they'll take more clues from Zipcar (www.zipcar.com) than from the aforementioned "hippy bike programs".... And no, I'm not a member or lackey of Zipcar, just a satisfied customer who thinks that in urban areas these ideas are truly viable ways to give us transportation flexibility without having to perpetuate the car culture that has created an America of suburban sameness...

Ok, now stepping off of my soapbox ;-)

[theSAWzall @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Philly could really use these in another 4 years, for the next SEPTA strike. Looks like you could fit 4 or so in the space of a regular car.

[Bible and Apologetics Teacher @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Remember Webvan and the Newton?