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The Sporty Dutch ‘Superbus’ That Hits 155 MPH

Apr. 9, 2011 6:00pm Jonathon M. Seidl

Ok, so “Superbus” is probably the worst name for this vehicle. Awesome, sports-car-looking-limo-thing is more appropriate.

Still, “Superbus” is what they’re calling it. It was developed in the Netherlands by that country’s first astronaut, Wubbo Ockels, who’s also a professor of aerospace sustainable engineering and technology, and can reach speeds of up to 155 mph. It’s also electric, according to the BBC.

It also can reportedly carry 23 passengers and stretches 49 feet. The register gives more specs:

According to chief designer Antonia Terzi, former chief aerodynamicist of the BMW-Williams Formula 1 team, the carbon fibre vehicle will “tackle the challenges of mobility, spatial planning, service detail and environmental demands all in one”.

Superbus packs lithium polymer battery-powered electric motors producing 530bhp, although it will need a dedicated road system to make use of all that power.

The vehicle is set to debut in Dubai next month.

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Comments (82)

Deutscher
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:54pm
Lots of odd negative comments here. Looks cool to me. It was no doubt designed to run on roads like the Autobahn that were built for higher speeds. I doubt the engineer was planning on mass production in the US. Modern materials are amazing. It’s cool to see them in action I think.
But this is an another odd story for this forum

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drago
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:34pm
Too funny, you guys are killin me ;p

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texasfarmer
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:33pm
How much energy, generated by coal, gas, oil, lithium, will be needed to construct the bus? How much oil will be needed to manufacture the plastics? It does look like something from Europe.

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Patriot Z
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:50pm
I gotta admit..its perty spiffy…nice lines too esp for a bus…please put lil stop signs on it heheh

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SIXBURGH STEELERS
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:23pm
eff this…….. go steelers!!!!!!!!!

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- teddrunk
  Posted on April 10, 2011 at 6:45pm
  Season is over. Steelers lost. They’re union is on strike. Big Ben is busy doing his best Charlie Sheen impression.
  
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- teddrunk
  Posted on April 10, 2011 at 6:45pm
  oops…their not they’re
  
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cripplecreek
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 9:51pm
Public transportation.

Because nobody wants to die alone.

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drattastic
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 9:46pm
Breaking News !!! We hit land speeds of 155mph back in the 50s didn’t we.?

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mrpips
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 9:33pm
Luckily no one was killed with a woman driver.

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MeteoricLimbo
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 9:21pm
Oscar Mayer look out

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flasho
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 9:00pm
How will it work for Foxwood Casino trips?

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Divothead
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 8:35pm
No way am I taking a ride at 155mph in 40 foot long monster with someone else driving.

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- sissykatz
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 9:20pm
  Divot
  
  That was my exact thougt!!!!!! The fastest I was ever clocked was 140mph. but I was driving. I do not want to be in anything but a plane going fast without my control.
  
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teddrunk
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:31pm
Can’t wait to see the “short bus” version for the other kids.

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- mrsmileyface
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:02pm
  There already is a “short bus” version of it. Its called the presidential limo.
  
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- ZaphodsPlanet
  Posted on April 10, 2011 at 1:57am
  I think you’re confused…. the presidential limo is a “Rubber Bus”…..you know…. like the short one for “special” kids
  
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- teddrunk
  Posted on April 10, 2011 at 9:18pm
  Outstanding comeback..LOL..a 10
  
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fobama
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:16pm
we have those 2 there called limos! I own a limo company, I will put my cars up against that any day!

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mossbrain
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:13pm
Imagine getting in that thing with 22 other passengers, getting strapped in, taking off with high expectations, and then someone, me, cuts an eye watering fart. The passengers screaming for their lives, fighting with their seat belts to escape, coughing, covering their faces, the driver swerving uncontrollably. This is their fate.

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- Non-sequitur
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:15pm
  And you would die the way you lived.
  
  With a fart joke.
  
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- bachstar
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:39pm
  My eyes are watering just thinking about it, I’m sure the windows don’t roll down.
  
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MontanaRob
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:11pm
Man, that blonde driving looks rough! I wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley, or is it a him?

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Pat Alexander
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:09pm
Back when the speed limit was 55, a preacher friend of mine always said “Jesus gets out at 56.”

I guess you would really be on your own at 155….

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JUSTANOTHEROPINION
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:06pm
I like the disappearing door theme. It is actually practicle. 3 stars for that.

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zoo9guy
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:03pm
Looks like an incredible amount of wasted money to me (probably a gov. grant) leave it to academia to invent an electric bus that has the same foot print as an older bus, but holds 1/3 the people. By the way Lipo-polymer batteries are suspected of self igniting and causing the crash of that UPS jet awhile back…stupid idea.

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Thevoice
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:37pm
Will this compete with Barry Obamamans super trains ..O.. the Progressive Marxists Democrats will be so confused ..Use their human right to ride the Obamaman high speed train or the human right to the fancy Greyhound …Then the confusion to the human right to fix the road or the rail ….

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- Contrarian51
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:42pm
  That actually raises an interesting point. This thing requires a “dedicated roadway.” Gee, how about that? So does a train. So this is basically an electric train requiring it’s own roadway instead of rails, that will require billions, possibly by the hundreds, of dollars in supporting infrastructure before it can actually be tested, and then it will carry perhaps 5% as many people as a train. All aboard! Well, not all. A few aboard!
  
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Seddel Cougar
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:33pm
I am sorry, there is nothing sexy, or fun, about taking the bus. It looks like a long sausage that someone sculpted a Ferrari style front and rear into (unskillfully) and then overcooked.

Make a supertruck and we will talk.

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- Rayblue
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:59pm
  A burnt weeniemobile. Zappa would be proud..
  
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Showtime
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:29pm
Reminds me of a Stude—————————————baker !
A Studebaker stretched.

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- teddrunk
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:30pm
  Golden Hawk?
  
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JohnFourteenSix
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:28pm
How Cool! The superbus could make kids actually WANT to get up and catch the bus for school!

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teddrunk
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:23pm
155 mph, big deal…wake me up when it can beat a Bugatti Veyron…255mph.

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Rayblue
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:15pm
But can it pop a wheelie ?
I can just see it high centered on an anthill now.
And it’s cornering ability must be spaceage too.

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- Rayblue
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:38pm
  Wubbo ?
  
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- MontanaRob
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:07pm
  Rayblue
  Posted : Wubbo ?
  ———————————————————–
  You know, where da wubbo meets da woad, huh huh huh!
  
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- Rayblue
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:29pm
  Sounds like a Barney Frank topical decongestant inhalant….
  Vapowubbo…
  
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:12pm
Imagine the smile of the officer who caught this thing going 155 inside of a 55mph zone!

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- BetterDays
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:17pm
  Or the grafitti artist that caught it stopped.
  
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- cheezwhiz
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:20pm
  It was developed in the Netherlands by that country’s first astronaut, Wubbo Ockels, who’s also a professor of aerospace sustainable engineering and technology
  ——————-
  You mean a professor can INVENT stuff, other than hot air ? We don’t have such professors in USA anymore now do we ?
  No wonder this thing will make its debut in Dubai
  
  Report this comment
- Glenn in Virginia
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:32pm
  Better not take that monstrosity on any winding mountain roads!
  
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- grandmaof5
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:42pm
  There isn’t anywhere I need to get going that fast with someone else in control. Bad enough having to fly, although in today’s climate that would be under duress.
  Afternoon, SNOW, hope you had a good day.
  
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- walkwithme1966
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:48pm
  I’m sorry – call me old but 155 is just too fast. I heard on the news that Texas wants to raise the speed limit on some roads to 85 – I am used to 55. I am just not the age for the new technologies.
  http://maboulette.wordpress.com
  
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- theonefromabove
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 6:53pm
  Yeah I kinda want one of those.
  
  http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos
  
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- hifi74
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:09pm
  I strangely looks like a lamborghini stretch limo. Well at least kind of anyways.
  
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- 123gone
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:51pm
  They’ve already got sceduled runs between Mexico and points North with stops in AZ. NM. and TX.
  
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- Xcori8r
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 7:55pm
  So the cost?
  
  How about a million Euros a kilometer seeing as how you need to BUILD NEW ROADS for the darn thing!
  
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- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 8:25pm
  @Grandmaof5:
  
  Evening, it’s going well here now, stopped raining and still COLD!!! Not going to complain much, for summer time frying the eggs in the shell just outside the door weather will be here shortly.
  
  @Cheezwhiz
  
  One of the people I volunteer with is a retired ASU professor, wonderful lady to talk with, and she has a online business as well. So yes, some American professors can do wonders in making things. Just do not look for any of them in the administration – save those making a mess of things as usual.
  
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- APatriotFirst
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 8:30pm
  Fast as hell, BUT DO NOT TURN A CORNER WITH IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  I don’t know one single place in US that this thing could go down a road and make a left or right turn.
  
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- C. Schwehr
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 8:52pm
  It’ll never see our shores….the interstate highway system is too screwed up from neglect to handle an electric pig that size…More importantly, HOW FAR CAN IT GO AT THAT SPEED???? 2 MILES?????
  
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- 82dAirborne
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 9:41pm
  @Snow – I don’t care. I don’t care about being PC, “Green”, MPG (or volts/amps per mile.) I don’t care about practicality.
  
  I NEED one of these! No particular reason, I need one.
  Come on! The coolness factor is off the charts.
  
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- Enuff Zenuff
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 9:48pm
  .
  Dubai?, huh
  I wonder how many wives the new owner has…
  
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- TXPilot
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:21pm
  Someone better start building alot of coal-fired powerplants, because that thing looks like it will need a large supply of juice to keep it running.
  
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- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:50pm
  @82ndAirborne:
  
  Agreed with you on the coolness factor…any way a rocket engine could be mounted on the thing and tested on one of those dry lake beds?
  
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- Creestof
  Posted on April 10, 2011 at 12:39am
  This explains the rise in oil prices…all the shieks want one for each of their relatives.
  
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- thepatriotdave
  Posted on April 10, 2011 at 1:43am
  I want one! But I want one with loudspeakers for the fake muffler noises. It would be pretty embarrassing to pull up to a HOT ROD and rev the motor to dare them to race and all they hear is a very slight hhhhhhmmmmmmm.
  
  The Tea Party Revolution Continues…
  http://www.AmericasTeaPartyNews.com
  
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- rgranger
  Posted on April 10, 2011 at 10:35am
  WALKWITHME1966
  speed limit has been 65 in most places in texas for years, 70 in some places…is that you always backing up traffic!!! I am going to be keeping an eye out for you. Don’t forget to add 3-5mph to your speedo for real speed, so you have more than likely been doing 50, just saying :)
  
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- 1TrueOne55
  Posted on April 10, 2011 at 11:54am
  Yeah we do have professors that do this stuff but they are rudely defunded by the extreme left because that machine would add to the carbon foot print in some manufacturing process so they eat each other out of funding.
  
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- Alky
  Posted on April 10, 2011 at 8:38pm
  @123gone
  What would be the point, you can only get 29 illegals in it! lol
  
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