There have been several recent trends in transportation infrastructure, most of which have taken place within the past few months and years. While we are still living in a world without flying cars or hoverboards, transportation has drastically changed over the past few decades.
How exactly did this take place? Technology.
What Types of Alternatives Exist?
Alternative fuels are being used. While gasoline is typically the first choice of fuel, there are other types of fuel that have begun increasing in popularity as well, including diesel fuel. There is a good chance that the dependency of biofuels will increase over a period of time. In fact, fuel cells are beginning to be used for a number of different reasons. Fuel cells can be used for stationary sources powering transportation devices, which may include subway cars. There are some serious expectations that within the next two years, millions of subway cars that rely on fuel cells will be produced.
Are There Any Eco-Friendly Transportation Services?
Surely something has to be done about the environment. As the concerns continue to arise on the condition of the environment, transportation services have to work on accommodations for these concerns and adapting to environmentally friendly options.
For example, the New York City Transit has decided to make necessary changed to go green and help protect the environment. They are also looking to help conserve energy. So how exactly do they plan on making this happen? For starters, they began to save energy by replacing their old train signals with LED signals. They have also replaced the incandescent lamps located within the subway station with fluorescent bulbs instead. These energy saving changes, which may seem minor to some, are allowing the New York City Transit to save nearly $5 million a year.
Aside from saving energy, New York City Transit decided to change the type of fuel used on its buses. Instead of diesel fuel, the buses rely on a low-sulfur fuel to get around. While New York City Transit was the first to take this initiative, many other transportation systems in different states are following right behind in hopes of saving money, energy, and the environment.
What About Air Cargo?
Tons of people rely on air cargo to transport goods from one location to another. It is a great, reliable way to get your goods from one place to another in a quick fashion. As more and more people need to transport goods over a long distances, this option will continue to grow and increase in popularity.
Will a Changing Energy Grid Have an Effect on The Transportation Industry?
Another new trend with transportation would be the changing smart grids, which are designed to help meet our energy needs. While smart grid technology is currently still in the works, it is set to happen shortly and it certainly will have an effect on the transportation industry. These changes could also have an effect on the transportation project taking place in Pennsylvania with SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. The project is designed with the purpose of conserving and reusing energy. While it is not happening just yet, one can expect to hear much more about the changing energy grid over the next few months.
As technology continues to advance, transportation advances and changes as well. Meanwhile, as energy prices continue to skyrocket, alternatives are being considered.
