Phileas  - a new concept for high quality public transport

Phileas Concept

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On this page the Phileas Concept is described in general. More detailed information can be found by using the hyperlinks on this page.

 

Contents:

 

Phileas Market

system requirements

the name "Phileas"

product range

exterior and interior design

lightweight body

all-wheel steering and guidance

hybrid propulsion

infrastructure

logistics and passenger information

 

 

Phileas Market

 

Despite serious congestion and pollution the popularity of the car keeps increasing. Traffic jams increasingly lead to economic problems. This situation can be eased by an urban public transport system which is quick, high-frequent and comfortable and thus attracts more passengers. Modern tram and metro systems meet these criteria, but are only economically feasible in large cities with very large volumes of travelers. The Phileas public transport concept, which is explained more in detail on this website, offers a solution for all the areas which cannot be served economically by a conventional tram or metro system.

 

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System requirements

 

In order to attract more passengers, for economic feasibility and to prevent pollution, an advanced public transport system should be:

  • time efficient;

  • reliable;

  • comfortable;

  • providing good passenger information;

  • low cost and highly flexible;

  • futuristic and innovative;

  • environmentally friendly.

For Advanced Public Transport Systems (APTS) the customer's needs are the demands of the transport concept. The customer wants to move as fast as possible from point A to B. The customer also requires reliability and comfort. The price is not the most important issue. Information is important too. The passenger wants to be informed in the vehicle, but also at the stops.  The goal of most modern governments is to guaranty transport for everyone, to save the environment and to reduce traffic jams. Innovations in these fields are often

subsidized by the government. Operators of busses, trams and metro want their systems to be profitable and flexible. In the paragraphs below is shown that the Phileas concept actually meets all these requirements.

 

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The Name "Phileas"

 

Name of the Vehicles The name Phileas comes from Phileas Fogg, the principal character in the book "Around the World in 80 days" by Jules Verne. In this book Phileas Fogg makes a bet for 20,000 pounds that he will travel around the world in 80 days. Using mainly railways and mail ships on pre-arranged routes he had to cover a total distance of 41842 km. Phileas Fogg completed his journey in time, in exactly 80 days, and thereby wins the wager. Fogg's journey can be considered as the ultimo of punctuality. At that time (1872) he also achieved a high average speed of 22 km/hr (41842 km in 1920 hours). Because high punctuality and high average speed are important characteristics of our Public Transport Concept, we have called our vehicles after Phileas Fogg's first name: Phileas.

  

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Product Range

 

The Phileas modular concept consists of body modules, subframe modules for the axles and a modular hybrid driveline. With these modules different variants can be built, with different passenger capacity and a vehicle length of 18 m, 24 m or 25.5 m respectively. Two of the length variants have been built for the Dutch market; the 18 m version and the 24 m version. The maximum length for single-articulated busses in Europe is 18.0 m. In Europe there is no legislation for the maximum length of double articulated busses. This is regulated Nationally in every individual country. In the United States a length of 60 ft (18.29 m) is allowed for single-articulated busses.

 

Pictures of Phileas product range

 

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Exterior and Interior Design

 

The futuristic Phileas exterior design can compete with the newest light rail vehicles on the market. As a result of the sandwich body construction, the surface quality of the exterior is extremely high (pictures below). The completely flat, low floor, with suspended furniture, large doors and spacious seating arrangements make the vehicles accessible for everyone. Because the furniture is suspended from the sidewalls, the floor can be cleaned in less time. On the contrary to other low floor vehicles, the useful passenger space is not reduced by a lot of big wheel arches. To create a maximum of  useful passenger space, the front axle is located under the drivers cabin, the rear axle is under the engine compartment and intermediate axles are as close as possible to the articulated section. As a result, in the single articulated Phileas there is only 1 pair of wheel arches and in the double articulated Phileas there are only 2 pair of wheel arches in the passenger

compartment. The large distance between the axles in combination with the fully independent wheel suspension also gives the Phileas an outstanding driving stability. The comfortable drivers cabin is designed according to the latest ergonomic standards. There will be visual and audible passenger information about the next stops and the remaining travel time. Electronic payment systems will improve the passenger flow at the stops.

 

 

More pictures of the Phileas exterior and interior design

 

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Lightweight body

 

The Phileas has a modular lightweight body construction. Application of composite body shells for structural body parts has a number of advantages:

  • integration of functions, such as strength and rigidity, isolation, and finishing;

  • low weight, offering more payload or compensating for additional equipment;

  • no corrosion;

  • high flexibility of door placement and interior configuration;

  • large freedom in styling, even for small series.

The monocoque hull also meets all the requirements regarding to isolation, fire resistance and recycling. Crash tests have proofed a superior resistance against side-impact accidents with passenger cars. A service life of at least 20 years is guaranteed for the Phileas body.

 

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All-wheel Steering and Guidance

 

The Phileas has an electronic lane assistance and precision docking system with all-wheel steering. Electronic guidance, electric propulsion and dedicated lanes give the Phileas all the advantages of rail transport, while maintaining the low investment costs and flexibility of bus transport. While driving in automatic mode, the Phileas automatically follows a predetermined trajectory, so that the lane-width required is small, only 6.4 m for two-way dedicated lanes at 70 km/h. The system is based on magnetic plugs in the road surface and works with speeds up to 80 km/hr and under most weather conditions, even with snow on the road surface. The investment costs in the infrastructure are much lower than those associated with rail. Because the Phileas can also operate without guidance, the

infrastructural hardware can be introduced in phases. In spite of the length of the articulated Phileas

vehicles, the maneuverability is just as good as a standard city bus and much better than conventional light-rail vehicles. The minimum turning radius is less than 12 m, with a swept path of less than 4.5 m.

 

Video of Phileas in automatic mode (mpg, 1.8 Mb, ±6 minutes download time with 56k modem)

 

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Hybrid Propulsion

 

The Phileas is designed with a modular electric-hybrid driveline, of which all the wheels (except the front wheels) are driven by electric motors separately. Application of an modular electric-hybrid driveline on multiple-articulated public transport vehicles has a number of advantages:

  • high comfort, due to gradual acceleration and deceleration;

  • low energy consumption and ultra-low emissions;

  • all-wheel traction (except for the front wheels);

  • continuous low floor (34 cm), also between the driven axles;

  • different energy sources and energy storage equipment optional.

 

The electric driveline enables the vehicles to brake and accelerate very gradually, without noticeable jerk. The hybrid driveline provides for electrical power, without the need of overhead cables. Electrical power is generated by an economic and environmentally friendly internal combustion engine (ICE), which drives a generator. In addition an storage system provides a secondary source of energy. On deceleration the braking energy is fed back into the storage equipment. The Phileas can also run purely on the electric power of the storage system over a short distance, like in the middle of a town, or in a garage, and thus operate 100% emission free. Because of the hybrid driveline and the low empty weight, the Phileas has a lower energy consumption than a conventional vehicle with the same capacity and equipment.

The modular driveline can be equipped with an LPG, petrol, or diesel combustion engine, and on the longer term also with a fuel cell system. As an energy storage system the Phileas can be equipped with a Ni-MeH battery or a flywheel.

 

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Infrastructure

 

Phileas with infrastructureThe impact on the infrastructure of the Phileas Public Transport concept is limited. No rails or overhead cables are required. The infrastructural requirements for the vehicles are typically:

  • as many dedicated concrete lanes as possible for 70 km/h;

  • 6.4 meter wide double lanes;

  • magnetic markers every 4 meters in the road surface;

  • interfaces with the existing traffic control systems;

  • adapted pavement height at stops (300 mm);

  • dynamic interactive information systems at stops;

  • easy accessible stops for people in wheelchairs.

Video of Phileas on infrastructure (mpg, 1.7 Mb, ±5½ minutes download time with 56k modem)

 

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Logistics and Passenger Information

 

Services on commuter-routes are expected to be high-speed, high-frequent, regular and punctual. Passengers also want smooth connections with other forms of transport. The control system optimizes this process and ensures that the vehicles travel at optimum intervals. Electronic guidance also means, that the place where the vehicles are traveling can always be accurately known, both in the vehicles and in the central control room. The Phileas can be equipped with a punctuality assistance system. This system provides information to the driver which can be used to adjust his speed, in order to follow the timetable as accurately as possible. Information about the technical status of all the vehicles can be transmitted to the central control room.

In case of any problem which affects the punctuality the central control room knows this instantaneously and they can take the appropriate countermeasures immediately. The punctuality information of the vehicles can also be used for dynamic passenger information system at the stops and in the vehicles. Electronic payment in the vehicles or at the stops will ensure rapid boarding.

 

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Last update: 26/11/02

 

 

 

 

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