The Masdar Initiative, an alternative energy project funded by the government of Abu Dhabi, is testing electric vehicles as part of research for developing Masdar City, a net zero energy community.

The initiative is primarily to see if people will adapt to a relatively new form of public transportation – this one being with the use of RFID technology.

Developed by Dutch company, To Get There, the cars are unmanned and not based on any tracks. Instead they are guided by a series of magnetic sensors embedded in the roadway, which communicate with RFID sensors in the overhead of the vehicle.

The cars go as fast as 25 miles per hour, running on batteries that last approximately 37 miles on a single charge. The batteries are recharged using a second battery pack that was charged during the day using solar panels.

To test the cars further, Masdar has already ordered thirteen cars total, two VIP models, eight regular models and two models designed to transfer cargo.

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