The National Individual Floating Transport Infrastructure (NIfTI), a project started by Nigel Hussey (HFML-FELIX) in 2019, offers both a new perspective on the future of transportation and a number of potential benefits over electric vehicles.
During the Innovate Meetup in Nijmegen, it was announced that discussions have begun on the possible development of a first pilot with this technique at the Industrial Park Kleefse Waard (IPKW) in Arnhem. The park already hosts several sustainable and innovative (mobility) companies. Because of the distance between the entrance and the on-site facilities, IPKW are looking for a sustainable form of transportation that could link these facilities. NIfTI is seen as a viable option for the park.
At the same time, the project is seen as a great opportunity to showcase the types of innovation within the energy and mobility sectors that are taking place in the Gelderland province.
Potential benefits
The basic principle of NIfTI is magnetic levitation. Its key innovation involves the use of electromagnetic coils embedded under the ground that levitate and propel an individual module along a ‘hidden’ track.
Preliminary research has shown that NIfTI could have a number of environmental benefits over other forms of electric transportation, with the added potential to reduce congestion, microparticulate pollution and road fatalities. 'This will not only improve safety at IPKW', Facility Manager Mariëlle Nijholt commented, 'it will also lower our ecological footprint.'
The pilot scheme would also showcase how NIfTI could become part of the ‘Mobility-for-all’ transition, providing equal access for people who, for one reason or another, are less mobile. ‘It is very exciting for the NIfTI team here at Radboud University to engage with IPKW and to explore the prospects for a first pilot of the technology’, Nigel remarked. ‘We very much look forward to continuing these discussions and to aligning our vision of a transportation network that is fit for the 21st Century.’