TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

The Swarm Solution for Climate-Friendly Transportation by Kenneth A. Capron
The TCI is anticipated to be expensive. We know that. The immense costs of changing processes and/or acquiring new equipment may seem overwhelming. New infrastructure is even more ominous. Change itself is a hard sell. Potential CO2 efficiencies on the table currently are focused on electrification of vehicles even though an extensive roll-out of EV's may require an upgrade in the capacities of the electricity production and distribution systems. And EV's (cars, busses, etc.) still result in deterioration of the roadway and wear and tear on the vehicles. In fact, if one does an in-depth analysis of ALL the costs associated with existing transportation and related factors and the overall climate impacts, it may surprise consumers into awareness and action. Big Time.

The facts say that the existing transportation sector is unsustainable for all but the most populous states. As an example, Maine has approx. 28,000 miles of roads and an equally overwhelming number of bridges. Just at the State level, we have a shortage of $232 million in annual road and bridge repairs and maintenance. And that's just for about 8,000 miles out of the 28,000 total. Can you really imagine how we can afford this year after year with no solution in sight? Even TCI can't make a substantive impact on sustainability. And in Maine, at least, few businesses exist that could make a dent in funding the repair of the old and the addition of new transportation infrastructure.

Overwhelming problems demand overwhelming solutions. TCI is actually only a small piece of the long-range solution that will move us toward tomorrow's climate-friendly transportation systems. But TCI does invite the opportunity to try something new. It may just be that we have literally reached the end of the road. Really.

I have been working on developing a new mode of transportation which combines maglev motive power with swarm intelligence to automate the movement of people and products. After all, that's all transportation really is - the logistics of moving something from one place to another. The only difference is who is controlling movement within that process. Left up to humans, transportation is a nightmare. Accidents, drunk drivers, squished pedestrians, traffic deaths, trains killing people, Uber assaults, missed appointments and so on. Left to the companies that make vehicles and sell fuels, we end up with a system that produces somewhere around 40 percent of climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions.

Now cut that out! We are an intelligent species (are we?). Surely we can develop a safe, fast, reliable, inexpensive and climate-friendly mode of transportation. Take away the powered vehicles and suddenly the surface is more amenable to pedestrians, bicyclists, scooters and, yes, even horses. Remember the horse?

So I set out to create a mode of transportation that is climate friendly. We need a system that is fully automated - no human intervention needed. I wanted to create a system that responds rapidly, OnDemand, to your needs and then delivers you non-stop to your stated destination. I wanted it to be impervious to weather and run any day any time 24/7/365. In order to avoid intersections and rail crossings that slow ground transport, I wanted a system that was elevated up out of the way. And I wanted infrastructure that lasts hundreds of years unlike our roads and highways. Do you realize just how harmful asphalts are to the air we breathe and the organics in the environment? Every day we breathe in microscopic particles of soot, smog, rust, paint, tires and dirt kicked up by cars and trucks. Is your windshield pitted? Mine sure is - like riding behind sand trucks for hours on end.

My interests in innovation and problem solving led to a system I call MicroRail. Micro because it is a small scale, perhaps 1/8th that of a bus or rail car. And rail for lack of a better label for the overhead structure which will guide hundreds of vehicles and their passengers to and from any other point on the system. To eliminate CO2, magnets will serve as the driving force behind this system. Magnets produce no gases, and due to lack of friction they create zero particulate. An FTA study that ended in 2012 looked at the feasibility of low-speed maglev transportation. The 2 page executive summary of that study points out the many benefits of a maglev powered system. It also highlights the gorilla in the room for such a system - cost.

"magnetic levitation technology offers a cost-effective, reliable, and environmentally-sound transit option … Maglev promises several attractive benefits, including the ability to operate in challenging terrain with steep grades, tight turns, all-weather operation, low maintenance, rapid aceleration, quiet operation, with superior ride quality, ... is unmanned and operates on elevated guideway …".

That last part is very important since the guideway is designed to prevent injury to animals unlike ground transportation. It saves you from the need to explain your lost cat to your child.

Now comes the issues of cost. Richard Thornton, PhD, who led the FTA study at MagneMotion in Massachusetts made a very compelling argument for substantially lowering costs. Most people envision a massive elevated train weighing 20 tons per vehicles when they hear MicroRail. But Thornton emphasized that a "swarm" of small vehicles served by lightweight infrastructure would be much less expensive and substantially more responsive to the transportation needs of humans and businesses. He suggest a 1/7th scale vehicle. We have opted for 1/8th scale, just a little bit smaller, in order to maximize the savings. We have also focused on lighter weight materials that have only become available recently - composites. Composites are light weight, stronger than steel, have extensive life spans and can be easily manufactured.

The vehicles that form the Swarm are expected to carry four to six passengers and weigh less than two tons each and move at any speed up to 100 mph. Each is individually controlled and contains most electronics needed for passengers to communicate and work during their ride. And each is voice controlled. " 'Alexa', take me to DiMillo's." As these 'pods' develop, we expect to offer customized variations, unique designs, and multiple paint schemes. The outside limit to their range will be the extent of deployment of the system. In the other direction, they will be micro enough to provide service to each street and eventually each driveway. A trip that may take 30 minutes today will be cut to 5 minutes with MicroRail. From your door to your destination will be reduced by more than half. We're even innovating a maglev lift to lower passengers from rail to ground or vice versa.

The challenge is cost. We are partnering with USM and numerous experts around the nation to solve the many challenges to be faced. We have a variety of engineers, urban planners, business advisors, lawyers, authors, sociologists and others who will attack every challenge along the way.
Our goal is to have a scale prototype on the Gorham USM campus by year-end 2020 and a full operating system by year-end 2021 with the full link between the Portland-Gorham campuses by the end of 2022. Obviously, the more funding we have, the sooner we can start eliminating the use of gas powered vehicles.

As soon as the prototype is approved, MicroRail will be deployed aggressively. Every trip provided with MicroRail will eliminate a trip in a gas powered vehicle. That makes it an especially good fit for the TCI program. In preliminary calculations, a 15 mile route in Greater Portland would eliminate 7200 metric tons of CO2 annually. For an application in Acadia National Park which had 3.2 million visitors in 2018, MicroRail would eliminate 32,000 metric tons of CO2 annually - just for the travel on MDI. The greater the deployment of MicroRail service, the greater will be the tonnage of CO2 withheld from our atmosphere. It is the single most effective way to make a dent in transportation related CO2. And overall it will cost the consumer, the taxpayer, less too. It's a win-win for the environment and consumers.

Yes, please do develop low carbon emission transportation systems for the state of Maine. Not only does our transportation system contribute to climate degradation in our state, but it is also set up to exclude the most vulnerable citizens: the poor, the elderly, the disabled and the sick. Elders are isolated and access to healthcare is limited for anyone without a car or truck. Depending on outside contractors, such as Uber and Lyft, will exacerbate the carbon emissions problem and do little to address the needs of more remote citizens. Even in a little city like Waterville, where I live, the population is hardly big enough to make cabbing a viable occupation. Everybody loses in the current system. I wholeheartedly endorse accessible, low carbon, affordable transportation systems in Maine. It will serve businesses and individuals alike, and it's the right thing to do. The future is moving away from fossil fuels. Let's not get any more behind the curve than we already are.

Greetings! As a college student I strongly support expanding zero-emissions vehicles and low-to-zero emissions mass transit options (e.g. buses, streetcars, trains, etc) and generally transitioning to more sustainable, low-carbon transportation. Thank you!

Hi there!
I am a college student who supports increasing public clean transportation and other measures to reverse climate change.
I greatly support a cap on carbon emissions of at least 25% by 2032, and I hope you will, too.
I respectfully ask that investments be put towards active transportation like better sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure, and high quality public transit.
Thank you!
Have a wonderful evening,
Rebecca C.

We are custodians of this planet. We owe it to our children to minimize the harm done... and by the way, create interesting jobs.

Underground transportation systems built beneath interstate highways to ship goods without any advertise environmental surface impact whatsoever would not only create a WPA-type jobs program but reduce highway traffic and wear. Likewise underground rail systems could transport people by the same long distance subterranean means. Maglev trains for both cargo and people could be powered by solar farms out in the desert southwestern U.S. By the way I'm available for consultation--I've got two engineering degrees, a pragmatic imagination and a desire to keep our species from wiping out the rest. I'm not cheap but a lot cheaper than the alternative. Thanks for reading.

TCI allows a small rural state like Vermont to benefit in several ways.

Reducing GHG - a global problem that Vermonters care about and want addressed - can not be done state by state and especially by states as small as Vermont. Combining the markets and regulatory power of several states will mean real progress and be a model for other parts of the country.

TCI - while bringing much needed funding to transportation programs - will be tailored to an individual state's needs. For Vermont this might mean rural transit, ride share, and EV programs and making sure rural residents that have to drive long distances to access, jobs, food, school and other services be treated equitably.

Any direct economic effect of a market based solution will fall outside the state's borders. There is no drilling or refining in VT and region wide distribution systems are for the most part outside of the state. Estimates of the affects at the VT pump are highly variable yet fall well within the range of gas price fluctuations over the last decade as state officials explained at recent public forums.

It may be that if the rest of the region's large states participate and Vermont, a relatively tiny market, doesn't the price at VT pumps may still go up given regional energy markets. Meanwhile the state will fail to reap transportation funding benefits.

Finally RGGI has been a success for the state. Important low income weatherization programs have benefited. TCI is following a similar model. Like RGGI there would be much to be gained and little to lose if the state participates.

Nuclear Power to Power Etrains, Ecars and Synthetic Fuels made by Nuclear Power to Power Trucks and Planes. Closing Indian Point Nuclear is a HUGE mistake, as it is equal to the 580 Windmills projected off New Jersey. BIOFuels added to Gas and Diesel, provide NO benefit to decarbonation, as growing corn and soybeans uses fossil fuels to produce it, at a huge Enviro Footprint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlvpYyyya_Q
Titans of Nuclear-United Nations hosts Bret Kugelmass on Energy, Climate Change, and Nuclear Power
322,549 views•Nov 15, 2019 Titans of Nuclear=Bret Kugelmass challenges the orthodoxy of both Climate Change and Nuclear Energy across 3 dimensions: Evaluation, Mathematical & Communication.