The vehicles will be light, 1.5m high and wide, and most will be 3m long. They will be battery-powered when on conventional roads where they need go only short distances at moderate speeds for very local trips, and to and from track access points - twenty miles at 40mph should suffice. They will be track-powered while on the track network where they will be passive-Maglev supported. They will be silent in operation apart from the slight sound caused by moving through the air and will give off no pollutants. The absence of both moving parts and contact with the track will provide very high on-track reliability. Car lightness leads to cost savings in car manufacture, energy use, track construction and maintenance.

The track interface and suspension could be built into the car, or be provided on a special under-chassis, attached to the vehicle on entry to the track. Freight cars would be more likely to use the latter option, making the vehicle a simple box.

On entering the track system vehicles will lower their Maglev suspension, taking the load off their wheels once transition speed is reached, lifting the wheels clear of the track. This still allows their use in the event of system power failure. On-track propulsion will be by linear induction motor. At maximum track capacity there will be minimal gaps between vehicles, but this circumstance would be very unusual. The cars would need to be streamlined to reduce air drag. The system will be biased towards bunching vehicles into trains.

Vehicle Types
There will be private car, public service and freight vehicles.

Private versions of the vehicle will range from six-seaters, as roomy as current medium range cars, to smaller, lighter two-seaters. All may have comfortable, airline-style reclining seats, and facilities to occupy the occupants, if they wish, during their journeys.

Public use, taxis & hire vehicles of various standards will be available for hire as are present hire cars and vans. These, and public service vehicles will be available at access points (less than 5 minutes notice in towns) on request or by prearrangement, for use on or off the track system. They will be available to different standards - some to take the role of hire cars, while others will be used in place of current taxis, buses, trains and short haul aircraft. They will give a private, on-demand service.

Track access points will be further apart than bus stops are now, so a new type of short range taxi service will be required to transport public service passengers between access points and their homes and offices. Taxi drivers will not be necessary once on the track, so cost should be low. This gives effectively an on-demand personal carriage service from any A to any B. Vehicle sharing could be a cost saving option, particularly for longer journeys. When no longer needed cars would simply be taken to any access point for return to a depot.

Freight vehicles
A standard sized freight vehicle is envisaged 3m x 1.5m x 1.5m, the same dimensions as the standard passenger car. This will hold two standard pallets of limited height. Bulkier items may be loaded without pallets. Where the total weight is much more than about one ton ??? the track-control computers will separate vehicles to keep within the design track loading. With unmanned on track operation, most freight can be moved at night when electricity supplies are under less demand and cost less. A light van version will be available. Driverless freight vehicles could be held in a depot near their destination and moved to an access point on request.

Slaving
Any vehicle may be attached, or slaved, to another vehicle for use on or off the track. Vehicles can be slaved together mechanically for road use and electronically when on the track. This will enable larger parties to travel together and for car versions to have freight versions linked to them.

Suspension
On-track, the vehicles will be suspended by passive MAGLEV. The leading technology is the INDUCTRACK development at Lawrence Livermore Labs in the USA. This provides a non-contact suspension with very low drag, inherently high reliability and extremely low stray magnetic fields. It gives no lift at zero speed when their wheels will support the vehicles. Once a low transition speed is reached, the Maglev suspension will take over leaving the power pickup the only contact between vehicle and track.

Vehicle Capacity
For road use small wheels and limited performance suspension will be sufficient, reducing the large intrusions into the load space required in conventional vehicles. Also, there is no engine-bay or need for a large boot. These cars can therefore still have up to three rows of seats within a three-metre length. Longer vehicles may be used but would not fit the proposed automated parking facilities. A freight version will hold two pallets of limited height and will be driverless but can be manoeuvred via a remote control unit.

Track network