Well, it’s not much to look at. Resembling a cross between a beat-up old school bus and a lumbering land mammal with a big nose, the DMV cruises along the streets in Fuji, Japan, on its first test run.
DMV stands for “Dual Mode Vehicle,” and it’s being developed by the JR Hokkaido Railway Company: a multi-passenger vehicle that can drive on the road, like a bus, and on rails, like a train. Rubber wheels carry the bus on roads, while the steel rail wheels are stored in the creature’s “big nose,” and can be switched in 10-15 seconds, without anyone having to exit the vehicle.
The problem with earlier Dual Mode Vehicle prototypes was the length of time it took to switch wheel types. JR Hokkaido has solved this problem, and they also foresee that their new vehicle will save the company in energy costs, being smaller and lighter than other buses. It was actually developed to improve transportation in outlying areas—being at the same time faster and more efficient than buses, since it’s able to make use of railway tracks, and more convenient than trains, since it can take people closer to their actual destinations. It also has the immense benefit of being able to avoid traffic congestion in the city by hopping onto the rails.
