SEGway is a transportation system with four main parts:
SEGway uses clean, short-range electric vehicle technology on a guideway system that provides for longer, non-stop urban/suburban trips. The SEGway electric cars are kept charged by the system. Therefore, for example, there is no chance that an emergenc y in the middle of the night cannot be served because of a low battery charge. The electric car could, of course, be plugged in at other places when necessary.
At times when the system has excess capacity, the smart carts could carry containers of freight and mail to distribution stations, large companies, the airport, etc., and be used for just-in-time warehousing for manufacturers and large retailers.
Event ually urban areas might be connected with higher-speed guideways and smart carts. These high-speed smart carts would probably use the then-existing, lower-speed urban guideway networks in each city to access local stations.
SEGway is expected to operate at mph and with 30 ft spacing of smart carts. The maximum throughput would then be 10,500 vehicles/hour in each direction. Note, 10,500 vehicles is 6 to 7 times the hourly throughput of a congested freeway lane. The SEGway concept optimizes the combination of the developing technologies of electric cars, intelligent guideways, smart carts, billing systems, and network routing algorithms. It provides an alternative for communities with nonattainment problems, lon g commutes, and/or no rail public transportation available. It would be appealing to environmentally aware people who cannot give up the mobility afforded by owning a car and using it daily.
Initially, while the electric car fleet in the urban area is being built up, conventional vehicles could be carried, which would have an immediate positive impact by reducing tailpipe emissions and highway congestion.