A dual-mode vehicle (DMV) is a vehicle that can operate on conventional road surfaces as well as a

railway track Railway track ( and UIC terminology) or railroad track (), also known as permanent way () or "P way" ( and Indian English), is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers ( railroad ties in American ...

or a dedicated track known as a guideway. The development of these vehicles started together with personal rapid transport systems in the 1950s or even earlier. Dual-mode vehicles are commonly electrically powered and run in dual-mode for power too, using batteries for short distances and low speeds, and track-fed power for longer distances and higher speeds. Dual-mode vehicles were originally studied as a way to make electric cars suitable for inter-city travel without the need for a separate engine. Dual-mode transit describes

transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

systems in which dual-mode vehicles operate on both public

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and on a guideway; thus using two modes of transport. In a typical dual-mode transit system, private vehicles comparable to

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

s would be able to travel under driver control on the street, but then enter a guideway, which may be a specialized form of

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

monorail A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...

, for automated travel over an extended distance. More recently, starting in the 1990s, several dual-mode

mass transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...

systems have appeared, most notably a number of rubber-tyred trams and

guided bus Guided buses are buses capable of being steered by external means, usually on a Bus lane, dedicated track or roll way that excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of Public transport timetable, schedules even during rush hours. Unl ...

es. The subset of dual-mode vehicles using conventional rail tracks and roads are called road–rail vehicles.

Technology

Similar to model trains, the ground level power supply is transported through the metal track to the vehicle. Because of the health risks with higher voltages in real systems, the power rail is only switched on when a vehicle is covering the section, to prevent

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the '' sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British En ...

s from being injured. This system is used for

trams A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

is called ''Alimentation par Sol''.

Hybrid vehicle A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids. Hybrid powertrai ...

s differ from dual-mode vehicles because they may not be fed by another energy source during operation. Dual-mode systems under development include the TriTrack, the RUF, Roam Transport's CargoRail and

JR Hokkaido The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart c ...

DMV. Dual-mode transit seeks to address a similar audience as

personal rapid transit Personal rapid transit (PRT), also referred to as podcars or guided/railed taxis, is a public transport mode featuring a network of specially built guideways on which ride small automated vehicles that carry few (generally less than 6) passenge ...

but with the capability to "travel the first and last miles off-guideway using onboard energy storage." A recent dual-mode transit system was put into operation on 25 December 2021 by Asa Seaside Railway Company in the

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

region.

Logistics

On the main urban arterial streets, a catenary system may serve both public transport and freight forwarders. This makes the operation of trolleybuses more efficient because of the additional income from freight forwarders. The operation of dual-mode trucks is not bound to the electric system. The distance from the logistics center to the inner city is driven in a conventional way. Also, there is the possibility to reach all clients aside the catenary system.

Motivation

Cities with slow air exchange (inversion) and high emission figures (

particulate matter Particulate matter (PM) or particulates are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. An ''aerosol'' is a mixture of particulates and air, as opposed to the particulate matter alone, though it is sometimes defin ...

PM₁₀, PM_2.5, NO_x, Ozone) caused by diesel-powered vehicles, need a way to reduce big pollution sources. Commercial diesel-fueled vehicles are prime targets because of their high NO_x and PM emissions caused by the lack of sufficient pollution controls. Dual-mode vehicles are also considered as a solution to the first-mile and last-mile problem. The same dual-mode vehicle can make the journey to and from a station using existing infrastructure.

References

External links

EV-World: "The DualMode EV Revolution"RUF Dual Mode Transport SystemsTriTrack Dual Mode Transport SystemsPuget Pullway
also about dual-way vehicle
GoBFree DM Vehicle

* ttps://asatetu.com/en/ ASA Seaside Railway Corporation {{DEFAULTSORT:Dual-Mode Vehicle Public transport by mode

Technology

Logistics

Motivation

See also

References

External links