Especially over the past three years, the spirits of Ron
Swenson, California-based solar entrepreneur and director of the International
Institute of Sustainable Transportation (INIST) have been lifted by the
incredible dedication and hard work of many folks around the world who are
raising the bar to create podcars as a new form of public transportation. He
sees them as a safe, efficient, convenient, economical, and solar powered form
of urban mobility in a way that only a California dreamer (and doer) can.
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| Ron Swenson sees mobility breakthroughs. |
While technological developments and much media attention are
focused on automation for private cars, there is a quiet revolution happening
in public transit as well. This transformation may ultimately eclipse the
excitement coming from an alliance of vehicle tech centers in Silicon Valley (e.g. Google's driverless cars)with Detroit and other automotive centers around the world. Swenson sees a happier integration of podcar technology and solar power collection. This may well be the driving force that leads to true innovation in urban transportation.
As technological hurdles and societal inertia are overcome, a bold podcar
industry is being born. Here are links to the activities sponsored by the non-profit INIST to support this broad international initiative, including
student work at San Jose State University. Swenson is working to bring university activities into the world of podcar development.
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| Swenson relates well to Swedish design visioning and capabilities. |
