Fernando Alcoforado*
This article aims to present the state of the art of future technological advances already achieved by humanity in the means of land, waterway, air and space transport. The preparation of this article was motivated by the interest shown by several readers of the article we authored The future of land, waterway, air and space transportation means who asked us to present the innovations already carried out in these transport sectors that are ongoing and make that they already point to the birth of changes that will occur in the future. This article presents ongoing technological advances related to the development of electric cars, autonomous cars, electric flying cars, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, Hyperloop in rail transport with the train that levitates and practically flies inside a vacuum tunnel, highways intelligent, ITS (Intelligent transportation Systems) that makes it possible to monitor in real time everything that happens in the bus system, on railways and highways, green hydrogen as a new clean fuel to be used in means of transport, ships powered by wind energy, ships powered by solar energy, autonomous ships, hypersonic and supersonic planes, electric plane, autonomous plane, Flying-V plane, space rocket with nuclear fusion, ion engine for space rocket and Bussard propulsion for spacecraft. The examples presented in the next paragraphs highlight the technological advances of the future already achieved by humanity in the means of land, waterway, air and space transport.
Technological advances achieved in land transport
Few areas are as dynamic as the electric car market. Electric cars are already on the streets of Brazil and the world. Compared to 2019, the percentage of electric cars in the world tripled in 2021. In 2019, 2.2 million electric cars were sold worldwide, representing just 2.49% of global car sales. In 2021, electric car sales more than doubled to 6.6 million, representing 8.57% of the global car market and more than tripling its market share from two years earlier. All net growth in global vehicle sales in 2021 came from electric cars. Worldwide, 10% of cars sold in 2022 were 100% electric models, according to an analysis of data by the International Energy Agency (IEA), ten times more than five years ago.
Considered as vehicles of the future, many autonomous cars are already present in traffic in some cities or highways around the world in tests that have already demonstrated the real behavior of these systems. One of the companies that is strongly dedicated to this movement is General Motors (GM), which will invest US$35 billion by 2025 in the development of technologies that involve these “robot cars”. GM’s vision is a future with zero accidents, zero emissions and zero congestion. To this end, it has invested US$35 billion by 2025 in three important mobility technologies: autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and connected vehicles. Thus, in 2017, Super Cruise was launched, the first global system to assist autonomous driving on highways. In 2020, GM presented the Cruise Origin, a vehicle with maximum autonomy, without a steering wheel or pedal. For decades, GM has offered systems for its cars that assist the driver, such as the lane-keeping assistant, which alerts and is capable of making corrections to the steering wheel in an attempt to keep the vehicle in the lane in case of distraction, among other resource examples. Robot or autonomous cars are already part of urban mobility around the world. Vehicles without a steering wheel or pedal are already running in cities or roads in countries like the United States and others, many of them with passengers on board.
Embraer will produce an electric flying car in Brazil in partnership with Eve Airmobility. The expectation is that the first vehicles, called eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft), will be launched in 2026. Joby Aviation made the first flight of an eVTOL in New York, in the United States. The company has already produced an aircraft for the United States Air Force and is expected to deliver the second unit this year, but commercial flights are only expected to begin in 2025. The Brazilian company GoHobby, specialized in the commercialization of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, recently announced the arrival of the E-Hang 216-S or “flying car”, capable of operating without needing a pilot. The vehicle is another model from the Chinese company E-Hang, which has been expanding its operations in the global market through partnerships with companies from several countries.
An audacious gravity-defying rail transport project is gaining momentum in Europe, promising to revolutionize travel: the Hyperloop. It is a train that levitates and practically flies inside a vacuum tunnel. This innovation has the potential to shorten travel times by up to a quarter of current times. The technology manifests itself through a system of hermetically sealed tubes, elevated from the ground, which transport modules capable of carrying people and loads at high speeds. This method of levitation, which combines the force of air and magnetic attraction, not only allows for surprising speeds. It also generates minimal resistance to the movement of air currents, resulting in low energy consumption. High-speed trains use magnetic levitation technology, or Maglev. In this system, the trains do not rotate, they levitate. Thanks to powerful magnets called magnetos, the train does not touch the track. China already has a driverless bullet train that travels at 350km/h.
China celebrates the debut of the world’s first trackless train, an innovation that promises to transform urban transport. The launch took place in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, marking an important milestone for sustainable mobility. Created by CRRC Corporation, one of the largest train manufacturers in the world, Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) is seen as a pioneering advancement in public transport. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, the trackless train stands out as a major innovation in the sector. The trackless train operates using advanced sensory technology, following mapped routes on the road. Initially, the train has three cars, but it is planned that it can carry up to five cars in a later expansion phase. CRRC Corporation innovated by using rubber wheels with a plastic core, a new model on the market. The trackless train is estimated to have a useful life of approximately 25 years. Measuring 32 meters long, the train has the capacity to transport up to 300 passengers at once. Running on electricity, the trackless train can travel 25 km after just 10 minutes of charging. It can reach a maximum speed of 70 km/h. Instead of physical tracks, the train follows dotted lines painted on the road, 3.75 meters wide. The train has advanced sensors that detect the pavement and collect essential travel information. With an innovative design, the trackless train is considered an evolution of the traditional public bus, resembling more of a tram.
China has more than 3,500 kilometers of smart highways. Smart highway is a new type of highway that uses modern information technology and digitalization. Smart highways are no longer a futuristic concept and are starting to become a reality in Brazil. These are just some of the technologies that are already seen on Brazilian highways, according to data from DNIT (National Department of Land Transport). With a huge variety of innovations, highways can be upgraded with communications, lighting and power transmission technologies, improving safety and efficiency, helping to transform the driver’s driving experience, as well as connecting different types of devices, such as sensors speed sensors, acoustic sensors, IP CCTV cameras, smart traffic lights, condition monitoring systems, climate and digital signage. ITS (Intelligent transportation Systems), which makes it possible to monitor in real time everything that happens in the bus system and create an interface with other modes of urban mobility, is widely applied in large cities around the world, on railways and highways in many technologically advanced countries. This is the case in Rio de Janeiro with the use of ITS in the operation of the VLT (Light Rail Vehicle) that operates in this city.
Hydrogen, which is considered by the International Energy Agency (IEA) as the fuel of the future, has been used by industry for a long time. This gas has been used as fuel since the beginning of the 19th century in cars, airships and spacecraft. Australia, the largest country in Oceania, is leading plans for the production of green hydrogen, a new clean fuel, with proposals for the construction of 5 megaprojects on its territory, thanks to its vast renewable energy resources, especially wind and solar energy. The largest hydrogen project in Australia and the world is the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, in the Pilbara, Western Australia, where it is planned to build a series of water electrolysers with a total capacity of 14 GW. The US$36 billion project is expected to be ready by 2027-28. The Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell, together with other developers, leads the NortH2 project in the Port of Ems, in the north of the Netherlands, which foresees the construction of at least 10 GW of water electrolyzers. The goal is to have 1GW by 2027 and 4GW by 2030, using offshore wind energy. Germany also has its own green hydrogen projects nationally. The largest is AquaVentus, on the small island of Heligoland in the North Sea. The plan is to build 10 GW of capacity there by 2035.
China is the world’s largest producer of hydrogen, but until now it has used hydrocarbons to generate almost all of its energy. However, the country is now taking its first steps into the green hydrogen market with the construction of a megaproject in Inner Mongolia (autonomous region of China), in the north of the country. The project is led by state-owned utility Beijing Jingneng, which will invest US$3 billion to generate 5 GW from wind and solar energy. The project is expected to be ready this year. Saudi Arabia, which has the largest oil reserves in the world, also plans to enter the green hydrogen market, with the Helios Green Fuels project. It will be based in the futuristic “smart city” of Neom on the shores of the Red Sea in the northwestern province of Tabuk. The US$5 billion project is expected to install 4 GW of water electrolyzers by 2025. Chile, considered one of the meccas of solar energy, was the first in Latin America to present a “National Green Hydrogen Strategy” in November 2020. It is also the only Latin American nation with two projects in development: HyEx, from French energy company Engie and Chilean mining services company Enaex; and Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF), from AME, Enap, Enel Green Power, Porsche and Siemens Energy. The first, based in Antofagasta, in northern Chile, will use solar energy to power 1.6 GW water electrolysers. An initial pilot test plans to install 16 MW by 2024. The HIF project, at the opposite end of Chile in the Magellan Region and Chilean Antarctica, will use wind energy to generate hydrogen-based fuels. The pilot project will use a 1.25 MW electrolyser and in the commercial phases it will exceed 1 GW.
Technological advances achieved in waterway transport
A Pyxis Ocean cargo ship, which left China and runs on wind energy, set sail on its first voyage, with its final destination in Brazil. The vessel is equipped with special sails, which aim to reduce fuel consumption and, consequently, the carbon footprint. Pyxis Ocean is the world’s first test of the technology. The special sails are 37.5 meters long and, to be more durable, are made from the same material as wind turbines. The use of sails reduces the carbon emissions of a cargo ship by 30%. A Swedish consortium led by Wallenius Marine has developed the Oceanbird, a transatlantic cargo ship for wind-powered vehicles (Wind Powered Car Carrier – wPCC). The Oceanbird has a set of five steel sails that look like airplane wings. When hoisted, the sails reach a height of up to 105 meters above sea level and are used to capture the force of the wind and propel the ship through the ocean. After a year and a half of travel, the PlanetSolar ship completes the first trip around the world made by a solar-powered vessel. The ship has a surface that serves as a “solar generator”, making it possible for it to continue sailing, even without direct sunlight, as the energy produced is stored in a battery.
A US$10 million solar-powered boat covered with 200 square meters of solar panels, a model created by Polish company Sunreef stands out for its innovative configuration that combines electric propulsion and solar energy. Its batteries power two motors of 180 kW each and the solar panels can generate up to 40 kWp (kilowatt peak). If you prefer, it is possible to add a hybrid propulsion system. According to the manufacturer, the 80 Power Eco is equipped with batteries that are 30% lighter than conventional batteries, which, combined with solar energy, offers an almost unlimited range. A solar-powered boat is an attraction in the waters of the Mimoso River, in Bonito in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. With an electric motor, the vehicle is silent and fueled 100% with clean energy. Its model is the Safari 7.0 M, equipped with two solar panels adapted to operate the electric motor and capacity for 15 people seated. The advantages are countless. In addition to being silent, the boat is powered by 100% clean energy.
The world’s first autonomous ship is ready to begin its debut voyage, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Plymouth, England, to the city of the same name in Massachusetts, United States. The Mayflower 400 was not designed to transport people, but rather to carry out research into marine pollution and track aquatic mammals during the journey, which can take up to three weeks to complete. The ship is a project developed by the marine research organization ProMare and uses IBM technology to cross the more than five thousand kilometers that separate the two cities. The vessel is 15 meters long and weighs just over nine tons. Energy is guaranteed by solar panels installed on the top and a diesel engine. The Mayflower’s entire steering system is automated, from the robotic rudder to the electricity generators.
Technological advances achieved in air transport
In June 2018, Boeing presented a hypersonic aircraft concept that could be used for both civil passenger transport and military use. Hypersonic speeds are those greater than five times the speed of sound, equivalent to at least 6,100 km/h. Virgin Galactic and Rolls-Royce signed a partnership in 2023 to develop a supersonic jet capable of reaching up to three times the speed of sound, equivalent to 3,700 km/h. A flight between London and New York could be made in just an hour and a half, two hours less than that spent by Concorde. Virgin Galactic is designing the aircraft for a variety of operational scenarios, including passenger service on long-haul commercial aviation routes. The aircraft would take off and land like any other passenger aircraft and is expected to integrate into existing airport infrastructure and international airspace around the world.
NASA and Lockheed Martin are working together to develop a supersonic plane, the X-59, which is quieter than models already used in the past. The loud noise prevented Concorde from flying at supersonic speeds over continents. The plane could only exceed the speed of sound when flying over the oceans. The new plane is one of the most advanced projects today. The X-59 has already been released for the final assembly phase and it is expected that it will be able to make its maiden flight later this year. The project has the potential to create a new era in supersonic travel. Another project in an advanced stage of development is from the startup Boom. In 2023, the company presented a reduced-scale aircraft for the first tests. The final version of the plane should have capacity for 55 passengers and reach up to 2.2 times the speed of sound, or 2,700 km/h. The manufacturer states that the objective is to create a plane that is viable for airlines. Ticket prices will be equivalent to a business class ticket. The goal is to make high-speed flights accessible to everyone. Aerion Supersonic has a supersonic executive jet project, which would have capacity for 12 passengers, reach up to 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 1,700 km/h, and have a range of 7,800 kilometers. Just as was already the case with Concorde, the plane, AS2, will only be able to break the sound barrier over the oceans. Flying over land areas, the plane will fly below the speed of sound.
Designed by the American company Bye Aerospace, the eFlyer 800 is an electric aircraft that will be manufactured to compete in the regional and executive aviation market, with a maximum capacity for eight passengers. According to the company, it will operate up to a maximum ceiling of 10,600 meters, a range of 920 km and a maximum cruising speed of 590 km/h. The Alice is an electric executive jet designed by Eviation Aircraft for short trips and operation of regional routes of up to 800 kilometers. Its operational ceiling is up to 9,000 meters and its maximum capacity is 11 passengers, two of which are crew. The maximum take-off weight is just over 7 thousand kilos and the cruising speed is 400 km/h. To charge the batteries of the two electric motors, a specific charging station for the aircraft will be required. The Velis Electro is an electric aircraft developed by Pipistrel Aircraft for pilot training and short military missions, being the first model to be certified as 100% electric. Manufactured by the Slovenian company Pipistrel Aircraft, this lightweight model has interesting numbers for its size and proposal. The 78 horsepower electric motor is powered by an 11 kW/h lithium-ion battery, allowing it to reach a top speed of 181 km/h.
Currently, Embraer, a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, is committed to developing its “flying car” for passengers, but has not abandoned its electric plane project, which has not yet been named, but which was one of the first prototypes in the world. The aircraft, which is made under the EMB-203 Ipanema, is being developed in partnership with the energy multinational EDP Smart, from Portugal. German company Lilium recently carried out the first successful flight test of its electric plane, which included vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) capabilities. The plane is also capable of performing more complex maneuvers, such as transitioning from hover mode to horizontal flight with wing support. One of the most important differences between this electric aircraft and traditional planes with the same capacity, which rely on rotors, is the simplicity of the Lilium Jet’s design. It is a light aircraft, powered by 36 electric jet engines, which, mounted on the wings via 12 movable flaps, provide almost instantaneous thrust in all directions. During takeoff, the flaps point downward, providing vertical lift. Once in the air, they gradually return to a horizontal position, allowing the aircraft to move parallel to the horizon. This makes surface controls such as rudder, ailerons (the moving parts of the wings) and tail unnecessary.
Embraer and Eve test autonomous flight technologies in operation in Rio de Janeiro. Embraer completed a series of experimental flights aimed at evaluating new autonomous system technologies in real flight conditions. The trials carried out in Rio de Janeiro aim to enable safe autonomous operations in complex urban environments. Data collection and real-time evaluation of these technologies in urban areas used a piloted helicopter as part of Embraer’s Autonomous Systems Project (Project EASy), which uses agile testing processes to develop solutions that can drive autonomous aviation of the future. . The interior of the Cessna 208 underwent a renovation that resulted in a plane that taxis, takes off, maneuvers in the air and lands without a pilot. There is nothing special about the 35-foot-long cargo plane that flew over Northern California last month. Machinery and software that allows the craft to fly itself comes from a startup called Reliable Robotics, which spent four years working on autonomous flight. The company has two planes in total, but the long-term plan is to fill the skies with pilotless aircraft carrying cargo and passengers.
Airbus is working on hybrid-electric propulsion among options to reduce pollutant emissions from jet planes. So far, Airbus has mainly touted hydrogen as the preferred power source for future planes, promising to launch the first hydrogen-powered commercial plane in 2035. The company is working on hybrid-electric alternatives. The company’s work in electric flight has laid the foundation for future zero-emission commercial aircraft exploring a variety of hybrid-electric and hydrogen technology options. Honeywell develops engine for hybrid-electric aircraft weighing 280 pounds (127 kg). The 1-megawatt Honeywell generator will be combined with the Honeywell HGT1700 auxiliary power unit, currently installed on all Airbus A350 XWBs, to form a turbogenerator that is 2.5 times more powerful than the version the company launched in 2019. The new turbogenerator from Honeywell will be able to run on aviation biofuel. Honeywell’s turbogenerator can be used to run high-power electric motors or charge batteries and can fulfill missions from heavy-lift drones to air taxis or passenger aircraft.
The Flying-V aircraft model is being developed by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, in partnership with TU Delft and KLM. In the original project, which also has participation from aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the aircraft’s capacity will be 314 passengers. V-shaped concept plane made its first flight in Europe. The Flying-V made its first successful flight at a German test base. The futuristic design seeks to accommodate better usable space and aerodynamics, moving the passenger cabin, cargo and fuel compartments to the plane’s wing. The model integrates wings and fuselage into the same body with advanced aerodynamics and can reduce fuel consumption by 20%.
Technological advances achieved in space transportation
US nuclear rocket will be launched soon. The Draco nuclear rocket is a partnership between the North American Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) and NASA. Known as Draco (an acronym in English for Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations), the project will serve as a test for nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) in space, a potentially revolutionary technology that could help humanity move to Mars and other distant worlds. According to NASA, a nuclear-powered thermal rocket can be three to four times more efficient than conventional rockets and reduce travel time to the red planet, that is, from 8 months to 2 months.
The ion engine is a promising alternative as a spacecraft propellant. The ion engine uses electrical energy to create magnetically charged fuel particles, usually in the form of xenon gas, accelerating these particles at very high speeds. In conventional rockets, the exhaust velocity is limited by the chemical energy stored in the fuel’s molecular bonds, limiting the propellant’s thrust to 5 km/s. Ion engines are, in principle, limited only by the electrical energy available in the spacecraft. Therefore, the exhaust velocity of charged particles in this type of engine is between 15 km/s and 35 km/s. Whether using the energy of the Sun or the atom, it would be used to ionize (or positively charge) an inert gas, such as xenon or krypton. The accelerated ions would be pushed out of the thruster, propelling the ship forward. If at the beginning the spacecraft would advance slowly, over time the acceleration would be gradual and inexorable, reaching a speed close to that of light (300 thousand km/s). In the absence of a star, a nuclear reactor could provide electricity, enabling a human to reach nearby stars, such as Alpha Centauri, 4.3 light years away.
The Dawn spacecraft was the first space exploration mission to use an ion engine instead of conventional thrusters, powered by chemical reactions. The Dawn spacecraft spent the last seven years traveling through the Solar System until intercepting the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres using its ion engine. NASA has already decided that ion engines will be used in the next generation of spacecraft that will travel around the Milky Way galaxy in the coming decades. The technology will also be useful for manufacturers of commercial geostationary satellites. Electric propulsion will allow them to be maneuvered, adding new capabilities to the satellite during its missions, in addition to increasing the device’s useful life.
Bussard propulsion is another propulsion method for spacecraft that could accelerate a spacecraft to a speed close to the speed of light (300 thousand km/s). An engine with Bussard propulsion for spacecraft, proposed in the 1960s, can in fact work and propel spacecraft up to relativistic speeds, that is, already in the range close to the speed of light. We need engines like this if we want to explore interstellar space. Reaching the closest star to us, Alpha Centauri, would take more than four years if we could travel at the speed of light. The drawback is that this engine requires such large spacecraft that it is unlikely to become a practical reality. Bussard’s ramjet is essentially a nuclear fusion engine, which could capture protons (hydrogen nuclei) in interstellar space and use them to power a fusion reactor. If the hydrogen is collected at the front of the spacecraft, like in a magnetic funnel, with the help of huge magnetic fields, it could be possible to use it to run a fusion reactor and accelerate the spacecraft.
* Fernando Alcoforado, awarded the medal of Engineering Merit of the CONFEA / CREA System, member of the Bahia Academy of Education, of the SBPC- Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science and of IPB- Polytechnic Institute of Bahia, engineer from the UFBA Polytechnic School and doctor in Territorial Planning and Regional Development from the University of Barcelona, college professor (Engineering, Economy and Administration) and consultant in the areas of strategic planning, business planning, regional planning, urban planning and energy systems, was Advisor to the Vice President of Engineering and Technology at LIGHT S.A. Electric power distribution company from Rio de Janeiro, Strategic Planning Coordinator of CEPED- Bahia Research and Development Center, Undersecretary of Energy of the State of Bahia, Secretary of Planning of Salvador, is the author of the books Globalização (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova (Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1998), Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do desenvolvimento do Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado. Universidade de Barcelona,http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e Desenvolvimento (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX e Objetivos Estratégicos na Era Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social Development- The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe Planetária (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e combate ao aquecimento global (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011), Os Fatores Condicionantes do Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012), Energia no Mundo e no Brasil- Energia e Mudança Climática Catastrófica no Século XXI (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2015), As Grandes Revoluções Científicas, Econômicas e Sociais que Mudaram o Mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2016), A Invenção de um novo Brasil (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2017), Esquerda x Direita e a sua convergência (Associação Baiana de Imprensa, Salvador, 2018), Como inventar o futuro para mudar o mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2019), A humanidade ameaçada e as estratégias para sua sobrevivência (Editora Dialética, São Paulo, 2021), A escalada da ciência e da tecnologia e sua contribuição ao progresso e à sobrevivência da humanidade (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2022), a chapter in the book Flood Handbook (CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida United States, 2022), How to protect human beings from threats to their existence and avoid the extinction of humanity (Generis Publishing, Europe, Republic of Moldova, Chișinău, 2023) and A revolução da educação necessária ao Brasil na era contemporânea (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2023).
Site Title 