Franco Vairani
CityCars Changes Everything
The concept: Tiny, economical cars you rent for an hour — or a commute — could help cities save money in many ways
By Adam Aston
A team of designers, engineers, and transportation geeks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab have been attacking the problem of urban transportation for the past few years. In a collaboration begun with General Motors, architect Frank Gehry, and a group led by professor William Mitchell, former head of the MIT Media Lab's program in Media Arts and Sciences, the project mates an advanced electric car with a broader vision of vehicle sharing that they hope will trigger a revolution in city transportation.
In its simplest form, CityCars is a network of electric cars stationed at transportation hubs that the public can borrow, use, and return — like luggage carts at the airport. Simple as it sounds, the plan has big implications. It promises to let city planners extend the reach of existing public transportation networks at a relatively low cost, while giving travelers greater freedom in how they choose to get to their final destination. MIT's big idea is that by including sharable, electric runabouts alongside existing public and private transport systems, they can create a new option that's so convenient that more drivers will choose to leave their private cars at home. That would mean fewer cars on city streets, less pollution, and faster flowing traffic for all.
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