Track
Fly by in a bike !
conflictless ABOVEGROUND tracks
Building new, conflictless transit networks is the best way forward to substantially improve the transit efficiency of the urban tissue.
Aboveground slender tracks on poles are elegant and affordable.
The track is suspended under 7 m high poles and has a height of 0,6 m. The poles are typically placed every 20m.
FlyByke’s commercial speed is mainly limited by the location of the track. In cities, with a lot of stations, switches and bends, the maximum speed is 60 km/h. That’s 3 to 4 times faster than today’s public transportation (not even accounting for the complete absence of waiting times and delays). And 3 times faster than cars, that typically reach average speeds below 20km/h in city centres.
In areas with less density speed can go up to 130 km/h, for example on intercity connections.
A 2-way FlyByke track has more passenger capacity than a three lane highway. For 10 x less space required.
It reaches up to 6000 vehicles per hour.
FlyByke tracks are light structures, occupy almost no land and can be built in a very short construction time. They can be integrated in any urban situation, preferrably besides or above existing infrastructure.
FlyByke networks can be built as multifunctional grids. If required the tracks can integrate other functions such as street lighting, power distribution and 5G.
FlyByke saves 90% electricity when compared to an electric car at the same speed. Where opportunate, the tracks can be covered by a solar roof, generating >50% of the residual energy requirements.
Pods
FlyBykes are all-weather electrically supported bikes.
Silent. Ecological. Comfortable. Sportive.
Ultimate driving On the road and on track
FlyBykes are E-velomobiles, in other words: covered e-bikes. FlyBykes are homologated as bicycles, can be driven without a licence and are allowed on roads and on bike lanes.
On the road, FlyByke has a smooth traffic behaviour thanks to its light weight design and the latest bicycle technology for pedalling support. Size and turning radius are like a normal bike or like a cargo bike for the longer versions.
On the track you can just sit back and enjoy: read a book, play a game, prepare a meeting, take a nap, watch a movie or simply enjoy the view out.
FlyByke’s travel experience is beyond compare with any other means of PT. No waiting. No delays. Your own private cabin, only to be shared with people you know. No more standing up, packed as sardines. You will always be in a comfort seat, with airco, your own music, at peace.
When transit is that fast and comfortable, no one will ever choose to enter the city centre by car.
Near Zero Energy Mobility (NZEM) starts with physics: weight, velocity and aerodynamics are determining for the effciency of any vehicle. The shape of a FlyByke is engineered according to a form fits function principle, to achieve opimal performance.
A Flybyke on track is 5 to 10 times more energy efficient than a car, a FlyBke on the road 100 times.
FlyByke is as silent as a bike on the road. On track, aerodynamic and rolling sound may be somewhat higher due to higher speed, but in any case much lower than car noise. Where cars are replaced by FlyBykes, the traffic noise will decrease dramatically.
FlyByke’s base model is a sportive e-bike.
Pedalling support can be modulated depending on wether you want to do your work-out on your way home or want to arrive at a meeting unsweated.
If you don’t have any affinity at all with pedaling, you can choose for a fully electric e-scooter type or simply walk to the station and take a shared FlyByke.
FlyBykes will come in different shapes depending on their purpose: ‘Single’, ‘Family’, ‘Sports’ or ‘Cargo’ versions are only a grasp of the posibilities.
FlyByke technology allows for the connection of specific devices, such as covered wheelchair models for disabled (image: Roma Medical). Any vehicle within the size, weight, aerodynamic and safety specs can be equipped with a connection slot on the roof to enable it for FlyByke.
Speed along with FlyBykes without leaving your own wheelchair !
Stations
FlyByke provides door to door mobility.
No need to look for a last mile solution !
At the stations the pods are lifted to the level of the track and hooked on to the bogie, a small engine that rides inside the track.
Stations have a series of connection slots, accessible through speed gates. Park your FlyByke into a connection slot, the gate will close and the rest of the procedure is automatic and fast. In no time, you’ll be launched onto the track.
Stations are located on a side-track: Arriving and leaving pods will not slow down the traffic on the main track.
This also means that travellers will only have one stop on their trip: at their own destination !
A FlyByke station can range from 2 to 30 connection slots, depending on where it’s built: in a small town or next to a football stadion. A typical 5 slot station handles 300 to 500 vehicles per hour. The footprint is 20 m by 3,85 m.
A typical 5 slot station has the footprint of a bus stop and can be fitted in any street plan. Station density will range from very high in big urban centres (every 500 m), to much lower on the countryside (1 per town centre). A high density network corresponds with higher traffic density in cities and allows for easy pedestrian access. Areas with lower station density would still have a good coverage, as they can be accessed over normal road in a FlyByke within less than 15 minutes.
Every FlyByke station covers an area of 10 km around it.
Project developers can integrate a FlyByke stop in public or private buildings. People arrive at a small platform where they can leave the pod and access the building straight into the entrance hall. The pod continues to the underground parking. Or returns to the network.
Cargo handling will be done in automated logistic centres, with their own specific stations.
Network
No tranfers. No waiting. No delays.
Meshed network with Static switches
FlyByke tracks and stations are all embedded in one network.
Switching lines happens automatically. In fact, lines no longer exist, so passengers will never have to transfer. The FlyByke tracks work together in a meshed network, always setting out the optimal trajectory for your pod.
Static switches allow for seemlessly feeding in or out on the main track without hindering other pods.
An automatic network can optimize traffic loads by adapting the routing, thus achieving much greater passenger capacity than traffic systems based on independent lines.
Parking
No more parking issues !
FlyBykes can be parked wherever other bikes or motorbikes are allowed to park. Three FlyBykes easily fit on one car parking place.
If your destination is not too far from a station, the easiest way is to leave the pod at the station and continue on foot. The pod will find it’s way to the next customer or will wait in an automatic parking central.
Private car parkings can be branched to the FlyByke network, to convert them into a FlyByke parking central (partially or completely).
Connector
The capability of hooking on and off makes FlyByke a unique mixed mode system
Autonomous drive & connector
In the stations the connector automatically locks into the slot in the roof of a FlyByke.
Connector and slot are standardized and can be used to connect a multitude of different payloads.
On the track the pod is considered a passive load, carried and driven by a bogie connector. The bogie runs like a small autonomous vehicle inside the track.
The FlyByke track supplies the energy for the motorisation of the bogie.
During the trip the track charges the battery of the FlyByke to maximize its range on the road.
Automation
Superior reliablity & safety
full Automatic mobility
Every vehicle is permanently controlled in speed, position and relative position to surrounding vehicles. On long straight sections, pods will close in and form an aerodynamic train. Before arriving at the next switch, pod trains will split up to free the required space allowance for incoming pods. Incoming pods are automatically aligned with the unoccupied spaces between the pods on the main line in order to safely feed in. All these manouvres have minimal influence on the pods speed: we can say that feeding in and out happens at nominal speed.
The safety distance between subsequent pods can be very close, since pods know exactly what other pods in front and behind them will be doing before they even do it. All pods act as one system and not as individual vehicles. This increases the track’s capacity enormously.
The automation and control systems are engineered for maximum passenger safety and system up-time. High quality components, back-up systems and redundancy are key elements in assuring maximal reliability.
Every vehicle follows the most efficient route to its destination. In the event of high traffic peaks vehicles will be distributed over equivalent parallel trajectories.
Maintenance interruptions, works or sudden incidents on the track will be exceptional, but can’t be 100% excluded. In such event the pods will automatically be redirected to the nearest switch or station from where they can be rerouted and continue their journey.
User Interface
Available with a tap on your smartphone
Use the FlyByke route planner to select your destination. It gives all the information on the trip, trajectory, price and arrival time. You can find nearby shared FlyBykes and FlyByke stations on a city map.
After having selected your destination, you can start a travel session. You can go to the nearest FlyByke on the route planner and unlock it with you cell phone. No need for reservation.
At the station, drive into any free connection slot and the rest will happen automatically.
If you are already near a station, you can just walk to the station’s pedestrian platform and start a session when you badge in at the speedgate with your smartphone.
The FlyByke app will keep you updated on travel progress and any possible events.
The tariff for a ride in a shared FlyByke is comparable to the cost of driving by car. It depends on the total travel duration on- and off-track. You just pay what you use, without the cost of buying a vehicle.
The payment is automatically withdrawn from your account as soon as you leave the pod and end the session.
Oops, I should stop at the supermarket before picking up the kids!
No problem, as soon as the destination settings are changed, the system starts rerouting the pod to the new target station.