Dragonfly will help in transporting people within busy airports

Dragonfly able to run up to 4000 kms; running capacity doubles in hot climate

Green Airport Transportation and Technology are just no longer mere concepts but increasingly becoming a reality.

Airports in the Middle East region could potentially benefit from Dragonfly, a green high-tech urban vehicle for runways and tarmacs, when its commercial production starts.

Mr. Henri-Philippe Sambuc, CEO of Catecar, the Swiss company developing the prototype for launch at the Geneva International Airport in September this year, said Dragonfly has been designed to be inexpensive while maintaining a focus on local production.

Speaking about Dragonfly at the three-day Airport Show which opened on Tuesday, he said Dragonfly will enable getting rid of the logistical nightmare of transporting people within busy airports. Sounds ideal for the Dubai which is set to handle 98 million passengers annually by the year 2020! He certainly thinks so.

The urban vehicle has been named Dragonfly named after the insect which reduced its anatomy from nearly 77 cms to just 7 cms in several million years. Dragonfly is all set to hit the world’s key airports in its first phase of manufacturing, and depending on demand, can start with minimum investments of about five million Swiss Francs.

Mr. Sambuc pointed out that Catecar’s partners are currently top Swiss universities and companies. It assembles the latest generation Swiss high-tech, comprising of aluminum chassis, a solthere motorization (thermic range extender with a mileage of 100 km per litre, a solar roof, and an electric motor with few batteries (20 kg) as well as a body made of vegetable flax.

The vehicle (350 kg) has an autonomy or ‘free movement’ of up to 500 kms, Sambuc said, adding that new technologies to enhance mobility, the motor – that is currently manufactured by other companies – and green concepts will be incorporated as part of ongoing R & D efforts.

Commenting on the fact that in Swiss climatic conditions the Dragonfly would under optimal conditions be able to run up to 4000 kms, he said that in the UAE’s or for that matter the other GCC states the hot temperatures could see it easily complete double the distance in the same allotted time.

“We are introducing the concept to the Middle East region which offers immense future growth potential for the aviation industry. Apart from airports, Dragonfly could also be ideal for ports, military bases, oil and gas installations and other large organizations which handle high volume of people movement,” he said. The Dragonfly, he said, fits into the scheme of things for the UAE as the government here was keen on adopting green technology in every sphere of life.