This futuristic bus could cut down China’s carbon emissions

Image: Twitter

This futuristic bus may look like something one of the Jetsons owns, but it actually made it’s first test run this week. It all went down in Qinhuangdao, China, where the large “straddling bus” was unveiled to the public on a test track.

As BBC reports, The TEB (Transit Elevated Bus) stands 72 feet long and 25 feet wide, and essentially straddles the road below. Cars can continue driving underneath it undisturbed and unharmed, even though that may be a bit of an adjustment to commuters (can you imagine?). The bus is powered electrically, and can carry about 300 passengers, or the equivalent to 40 conventional busses.

The idea for this revolutionary vehicle was born in 2010, and just 6 short years later people are able to see it being tested. The best part about this thing—it could cut carbon emissions by almost 2,500 tons in China. This is huge.

The TEB is expected to reach a speed of 60 kilometers, or 37 mph. Also, 300 passengers seems like a lot, but there’s more. Up to four TEB’s can be linked together at once, so that’s 1,200 people off the roads avoiding a contribution to carbon emissions.

What does this mean for the future of climate change? Hopefully the rest of the world will catch on to China’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Check out the video below showcasing the new technology.

Futuristic “straddling bus” TEB conducts 1st road test in N #China‘s Hebei on simulated traffic conditions #XinhuaTV pic.twitter.com/xY929JAAJo

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) August 3, 2016