UST: News

An interview with the Chief designer of the rolling stock Department Andrey Zaytsev that was recorded at the SkyWay display stand during the XX International transport trade fair InnoTrans 2016.

The central subject of the video is the unibike - a vehicle, which will be one of the first arranged on string rails for running tests of the SkyWay rolling stock scheduled for the end of November. This sample of the innovative transport technology has attracted the most interest during the trade fair InnoTrans 2016 in Berlin intriguing both ordinary visitors and members of official delegations from various countries, as well as representatives of the largest transport corporations.

Unibike is a vehicle of small capacity. The primary scope of its application are recreational and restricted areas, entertainment facilities and local transport lines. With the development of technology and infrastructure, unibike can be used as a fully-featured urban transport taking an intermediate position between personal and public transport.

The motion of unibike is performed by means of an electric traction drive. Electric traction drive motors are combined with wheels in a common unit - a motor-wheel that allows to exclude the transmission components (reducing gearboxes) and to reduce respectively the size, weight and cost of the drive. In combination with exceptional aerodynamic features (C_x of a unibike in the current version of design is equal to 0.07, which is much better than that of modern sports cars) the system allows to reach speed of up to 150 km/h with the consumption of energy in fuel equivalent equal to 2.2 liters per 100 kilometers.

Additional energy savings can be achieved by equipping the vehicle with a cycle generator transforming muscle force into electricity and returning it to the system. In this case, a unibike can reach 60 km/h speed using only the muscular strength of the passenger.

The cabin is equipped with systems of ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, audio- and video-information for passengers. The onboard unibike control system is fully automated.

The capacity of the vehicle in its current design is two people, however this parameter may vary depending on the customer's requirements. In addition, there is the possibility of individual equipping of the vehicle allowing to optimize it for specific conditions of operation based on the characteristics of the location, tasks and preferences of the consumer (see the model range of UniBikes).

Basic features of unibike:

Translation of the video:

Mikhail Kirichenko: Good day! Here is Mikhail Kirichenko. You are watching SkyWay news, where we tell you about the developments and implementation of breakthrough transport technologies. Today we continue our talk with the Chief designer of the rolling stock Department Andrey Zaytsev. Good morning, Andrey!

Andrey Zaytsev: Good morning!

M.K.: It is an early morning. We are trying to work early till there is some space at the display stand. Today we are expecting at least 300 people by appointment. Well, yesterday we told our viewers about the unibus and the models that can be used as a real vehicle on a real track for transporting almost 1 mln tons of cargo per year. I recommend to those who missed that video to watch it. Today we shall continue a tour at our display stand.

A.Z.: Now I'd like to tell about the unibike, our most popular exhibit.

M.K.: Perhaps it will be the first to ride at EcoTechnoPark.

A.Z.: Not perhaps, but exactly. It is completely ready for it. We shall go back, prepare, assemble it and it will ride.

M.K.: I did not doubt that it would ride. I doubted it would ride the first, because initially the unibus was planned for it.

A.Z.: Maybe they will start together. Time will show. Well, what is a unibike? Briefly speaking, it is a lightweight vehicle of small capacity for possible individual use. It is planned for initial use in restricted areas or recreational zones. For example, in University campuses, i.e. at some small sites. Though in future, with the development of SkyWay transport structure, it might be used as an urban vehicle of small capacity. It should be noted that all our urban and lightweight routes designed for unibus are cross-functional. It means that any SkyWay vehicle except a high-speed one can use a cargo transport system for passenger transportation and vice versa.

M.K.: So, it is a multi-purpose transport structure.

A.Z.: Yes. Let's get back to the unibike. It is a lightweight vehicle, 650 kg of fully loaded weight. It may be for two persons with installed cycle generators allowing to produce electric power and compensate it on batteries returning power to the onboard system. It allows to do fitness and save time on a gym, as well as save money. The cost of the produced and returned energy will be compensated at the end of the travel. If the cycle generator is not installed, three persons can ride in this vehicle. There will be three passenger seats in it. The features of the unibike are small weight, excellent aerodynamics with C_x factor 0.07, a steel wheel. All of it makes possible to minimize energy consumption for unibike motion. For example, at 100 km/h speed unibike needs only 2 kW of electric power for motion. To make it clear, recalculated to fuel it will need 2.2 liters for 100 km of route.

M.K.: It is a real achievement.

A.Z.: If we compare it with a motorbike, where there are also two people, the latter consumes minimum 6 liters of the same fuel at the same speed.

M.K.: And it is only the beginning. We shall go on developing and promoting this technology.

A.Z.: Definitely. There is also another example referring to the unibus. Our engineers decided to compare it with something modern and popular. It is Tesla. Here are some figures. Tesla is a 4-seat passenger car. We have 14 passengers in this small bus. To get fair results we balanced the features of either unibus to Tesla or Tesla to unibus. Even in this duty, taking into account a steel wheel instead of a rubber tire and aerodynamic resistance factor, we get the result by 6.5 times better in efficiency. If we compare them without balancing, taking into account that we carry 14 passengers instead of 4, we get it by above 17 times better in efficiency. How is it reached? I'd like to repeat: aerodynamics, absence of airfoil effect and our motor-wheel. Some words about it. At this stand we see a motor-wheel taken off from the unibike for demonstration. It would be inconvenient to see it in the unibike. It is a steel wheel of small diameter. This is a DС synchronous motor with permanent magnets and a light braking system adopted from a standard production motorbike. A braking disc, hydraulic support.

M.K.: I see it is ventilated, the quality is high. It can brake from very high speeds.

A.Z.: At 150 km/h we ensure the necessary slowdown. We do it by electro-dynamic braking, i.e. by recuperating energy and returning it to the onboard circuit of the vehicle.

M.K.: It is approximately like KERS that existed in Formula 1.

A.Z.: Yes. Though KERS was the accumulator of mechanical energy and we have recuperation of electric energy. However, the principle is the same: not to spend it, but to return it back into the system and use it again. Therefore, in this design the friction braking system is used as an alternative and additional one. In case of an emergency braking we activate both the systems: electro-dynamic and friction brakes. Now about the motor features. This small compact size of 14 kg weight contains 3.5 kW power at nominal condition and up to 5 kW power - at maximum condition. In total we have 20 kW power onboard the unibike and we spend about 2 kW while moving at constant duty. This tenfold reserve is needed to speed up and accelerate efficiently so that the logistics would keep the required 2-second interval in motion, the minimal safety interval. By the way, moving with this interval unibikes can transport 7,200 people per hour on the lightweight transport system. It is about 150,000 passengers per day just using such 2-seat modules of unibike. Perhaps, a couple of words about the modular construct. It might be interesting. The body frame is a monocoque made of composite materials. No steel or aluminum. It is a completely plastic body frame. The glasses are made of polycarbonate, as we said yesterday. It provides twofold less weight and strength higher by 25 times.

M.K.: Than glass?

A.Z.: Yes, than silicate glass. We did our best to make the interior friendly, interesting and pleasant.

M.K.: I dare to remind that one most distinguished German guest said our quality is better than that of BMW and Mercedes.

A.Z.: I didn't hear it.

A.Z.: Wonderful. Next goes the multi-media system. After getting out of a recreational area and entering the transport system, these vehicles with developed electronic component can become your individual assistant within the framework of the future mobility concept.

M.K.: Let us stand at the object we are speaking about.

A.Z.: You will not have to wait for a unibike at the station, open the doors manually, choose the destination, etc. You will do it in advance with your smartphone. When you are approaching the station, the unibike will arrive to the station, open the door for you, take you aboard and drive you to your destination.

M.K.: Fine! As I see, all the future developments predicted by Sergey Sibiryakov are already being embodied at high rate.

A.Z.: Yes. By keeping your good mood, boarding comfort, microclimate in the compartment, your favorite music, it will be your loyal friend and assistant.

M.K.: And the chassis will always be delivered to you in time, perfectly adjusted and serviced. Am I right?

A.Z.: You will not have to think about technical maintenance, refilling, etc.

M.K.: Just about the color of curtains you want to hang on these carbonate glasses.

A.Z.: Something like that. I think it is over with the unibike. And the last exhibit to be highlighted for sure is this interesting vehicle. By its exterior, it can be compared with a model, because the size coincides. However, in fact, it is not a scaled model. It is a vehicle in its real size.

M.K.: So, it is also an industrial sample, isn't it?

A.Z.: It is a ready-made vehicle to be used in the project of the intelligent fencing.

M.K.: Well, it is both a security module and a vehicle.

A.Z.: It is a vehicle, because it is capable to ride.

M.K.: It contains the elements that make it a security module, but it can transport any things.

A.Z.: We can also say it in other words. This design is fully equipped with electronics that allows it to secure a restricted area. If it is not filled with electronics, it can be used for transporting minor cargo along a super lightweight transport system. As regards the completing units of the security module, this is a project of intelligent fencing. It is created for safeguarding some high-security facilities: airports, warehouses, any particular areas, etc. For example, a frontier, including national borderlines.

M.K.: I think the market is unlimited for this product.

A.Z.: Moreover, it can secure and transfer cargo. What is its equipment? It is equipped with a monitoring system, three video cameras: a camera in conventional spectrum rotating by 360°, a night vision camera in visible spectrum and an infra-red camera for night vision. If we look at the screen, we can see the picture that this security module is monitoring. Here at the exhibition we demonstrate it to people. In normal operation, it accumulates the information and transmits it to the control center. What do we need it for? Primarily, for monitoring a secured area. If the module sees some alien object, it identifies it and determines whether it is a human or not. If it is a human, it determines whether it is a friendly security guard or somebody outside the database.

M.K.: I see Baburin on the screen. It identifies him and does not react as a result. Victor is still with us.

A.Z.: Yes, that's right. I can see you, too. Its reaction is the same. Well, the next things happen. The security module stops at the intruder, switches on signaling light, then sound signals about the violation of the perimeter and the info is transmitted to the control center. There an operator or a smarter system takes a decision.

M.K.: An operator or a smarter system. It sounds perfectly. We are as if in the distant future now.

A.Z.: So, if it is a real intruder, the emergency response service is called. It arrives quickly and liquidates or settles the problem with the intruder.

M.K.: In short, he is annulled at the spot.

A.Z.: Possibly. The weight of the fully equipped module is 30 kg and we can also add another 30 kg of payload. Therefore, so as not to call the emergency service, we can add here striking elements. Electric shoсkers or firearms. If it is a very serious facility with that right available, we can offer such version to the customer.

M.K.: It is quite real to secure a borderline during a war period.

A.Z.: Yes. Well, that was my explanation.

M.K.: Thank you very much. Many people have already come and they are waiting for you. Thank you very much, Andrey, for the nice talk. Sign up to our YouTube channel. Stay tuned for the news update on the official website of the International SkyWay Group of Companies at rsw-systems.com. Support our project and you will also have such pleasant, educated and intelligent talk partners.