ABU DHABI // It moved off almost soundlessly, the only noise a slight whirr from the electric motors at the rear.
At 15 metres long, the Superbus looked impossibly unmanoeuvrable as it took to the road for a spin around Masdar City.
Not so, according to Antonia Terzi, the former Formula 1 aerodynamics expert who was its lead designer and who was behind the wheel for yesterday's first UAE test drive of the prototype. "It drives like a car," she said. "After a couple of laps you forget you have 15 metres behind you. It's really, really responsive and it drives really, really nicely."
That, she said, was thanks to two sets of steerable rear wheels that make it surprisingly nifty around corners. "It's a very important and useful feature that allows the bus to reach almost any destination."
The eco-friendly community that is taking shape next to Abu Dhabi International Airport was a fitting setting for yesterday's test of the prototype of the revolutionary Dutch-designed 250kph electric vehicle. And for the first time the Superbus's batteries were charged up using solar power thanks to Masdar's array of photovoltaic panels.
"Last night it was fantastic because we charged the Superbus with solar energy from here," Ms Terzi said. "It was the first time we could close the loop. The idea is to have Superbus which runs on batteries, which is fully electric. But then the batteries need to be charged up through a sustainable source, so this is great. I'm very, very happy."
The sleek midnight-blue Superbus, which has room for 23 passengers, has been developed at the Delft University of Technology by a team led by the former astronaut Professor Wubbo Ockels.
Video: Superbus prototype displayed in Abu Dhabi
Last Updated: Apr 12, 2011
Get an up-close and personal look at the Superbus, capable of reaching speeds of 250kmh.
Play video
Last week, as the prototype went on show in Dubai, he said he hoped the UAE would be the first country in the world to operate the vehicle, which could slash the journey time between Abu Dhabi and Dubai to 30 minutes. It is designed to use ordinary roads at either end of its route, but for most of the distance of its journey it would transfer to a purpose-built high-speed track on which it could accelerate to 250kph.
Ms Terzi said she was delighted to have brought the Superbus to Masdar. "Masdar City is a fantastic project because it's all about how to make sustainable energy and make it now, not in the future but now, and I love this approach. It's the same thing for Superbus."
Passengers would call up the nearest Superbus by phone, and it would take them from wherever they were to their destination.
The Masdar City director Alan Frost said the idea would be better suited to inter-city routes than as a means of transport within the community.
csimpson@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mountain%20Boy
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
DUNGEONS%20%26%20DRAGONS%3A%20HONOR%20AMONG%20THIEVES
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THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Second ODI
England 322-7 (50 ovs)
India 236 (50 ovs)
England win by 86 runs
Next match: Tuesday, July 17, Headingley
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on Quran memorisation:
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
WITHIN%20SAND
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
MANDOOB
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
