In the future, getting over to The Commons for a bite to eat might put you right in the middle of something only the likes of Isaac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke could have ever imagined: a Podcar, zipping you to your destination swiftly and without burning any precious unsustainable energy sources.
Pods would be computer-guided and completely electronic. Also, in a place like Ithaca where the population swells significantly during the school year, a Podcar system could do wonders for traffic on battered Ithaca city streets.
But how much would a Podcar system cost, and how close are we to living in a real-world Futurama? The concept has made national news, and an AP article on Podcars puts the price of the system at anywhere from $25 to $40 million dollars per mile. Proponents of the plan say the biggest obstacle is overcoming cultural resistance to the idea, comparing it to the shift from horse and buggy to automobile in the early 20th century.
Concept photos courtesy of www.inhabitat.com.
--Eric Raue
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