Airport to go electric

14th August 2009

Driverless electric cars could soon be ferrying passengers at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal Five.

From early next year, a fleet of 21 four-seat wheeled pods will whisk customers from the business car park to the terminal in a hassle-free five minutes, claims airport operator BAA.

The car drives itself along a 3.8-mile concrete track without rails, using computers and sensors to control braking and acceleration.

The £25million scheme will be the first major personal rapid transit system (PRT) to open this century. The ‘horizontal elevator’ concept is also being considered by congested towns such as Daventry, Northants and Cambridge to get motorists out of cars.

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