The rise in urbanization promises unprecedented opportunities and never before imagined lifestyles. While populations concentrate in smaller areas, congestion rises, threatening to stem progress and dampen quality of life. With limited alternatives, city-dwellers still take to the roads, hoping new solutions in automotive networks will keep up with their pace.

At the Innovation Center Gijon, unique systems are under development to put the future of urban mobility back on the fast track. A young, international team of engineers and researchers are creating solutions which aim to seamlessly bridge the gap between commuter needs and existing modes of transport.

Going the extra mile

One of the endeavors now emerging at the Innovation Center Gijon is ACCEL – unique systems for accelerated speed between old and new destinations, terminals and stations, promising on-time access to public transport practically from the commuter’s doorstep. So commuters can leave their cars at home, saving considerable time, resources, and nerves.

ACCEL’s technical innovation is nothing short of revolutionary. It is the only transportation system which slows when passengers board and exit, but accelerates in the middle. Sensors ensure a smooth, safe and above all continuous ride.

Making the most of time

Time is precious. This was never clearer to José than when he began juggling work and family, let alone free-time. The hectic commute seemed an unavoidable necessity. If only the time spent in his car waiting in gridlock could somehow be transferred to his desk, or better yet: his living room or the ski slopes.

There must be a way to build better links to public transport, freeing up intelligent, sustainable choices for city dwellers like José. This was his personal drive behind imagining a new solution like ACCEL. He could enter a feeder station just down the street, reaching a main metro artery three times faster.

Three times faster? Yes, because ACCEL’s game-changing technology combines overlapping pallets, each with its own magnet propelled by linear motors, which ensure unprecedented speed and safety for passengers.

José looks forward to using his extra time on the metro to check work mails or text his family. They could certainly also benefit from a new ACCEL metro feeder – to visit their friends more often.

Streamlining air travel – on the ground

In the modern world, distances seem smaller and smaller. But increasingly, air travel feels stuck in gridlock, especially when passengers on the ground struggle to get from point A to B. Product Manager Juan Carlos frequently travels, gathering input from clients around the world, and with a tight schedule, every minute counts. Needless to say, he has certainly experienced his share of inefficient airport transportation systems and crowded waiting areas.

Juan Carlos sees a very concrete benefit for airports with the unique ACCEL solution, since it can continuously transport passengers at speeds of up to 2m per second – 70% faster than most current systems. And the flawless technology ensures smooth sailing point to point, so he can take a moment to check his iPad for boarding times, or phone home.

Knowing first-hand the potential pros that ACCEL offers airport hubs, Juan Carlos is certain that customer-driven ACCEL solutions will also tackle and win-over similar challenges in a variety of urban spaces, such as metro stations, parking lots and public sites.

Open-minded innovation meets high-tech design

For the staff at the Innovation Center Gijon, the synchronization of all of ACCEL’s technical details presented the greatest challenge, one which could only be met by a unique team of players from both mechanical and electrical engineering. “Whatever you do on one side affects the other. For all the departments from manufacturing to maintenance to installations, you need to know how to listen for the solutions,” says Mechanical Engineer José Ojeda.

The spirit of cooperation amongst the team members, it turns out, has been just as important as their technical know-how – fueled, of course, by the excitement of working together on something completely new.

“This project forces you to give 100%, but you always have someone to ask when you need help with a solution,” says engineer Luis Moran. Much like a family, he adds with a smile.

Rapidly moving forward to the cities of the future

ACCEL debuts a whole new product on the market for mass transportation. Yet despite the trailblazing technology, ACCEL is a solution demanding no training and no special requirements. Plus, the beautiful efficiency of no maintenance rooms and no complex construction work makes it an appealing, cost-efficient bridge for urban planners to shift from road to rail in megacities.

Like a walkway, ACCEL is familiar to decision-makers and passengers, but at the same time provides unique speeds, passenger capacity and lengths never before seen. thyssenkrupp Elevator is currently co-creating ACCEL solutions with customers from airports in the Middle East to metro stations in Hong Kong and São Paulo.

Poised to cater to the needs of rapidly developing urban communities, ACCEL cuts through the traffic of other solutions to keep urban dwellers on the move, and on time.

ACCEL in Gijon – reimagining the future of urban mobility