The Coco Taxi is an auto-rickshaw style vehicle that operates in Cuba. The name "coco" means coconut in Spanish and the playful style of the vehicle is inspired by the shape of half a coconut.

This mode of transportation is primarily used as a tourist attraction.

It has the following features:

• Fiberglass shell
• 3 Wheels
• Gas powered engine
• 2-3 Bucket seats behind the driver
• Open air design
• Yellow cocos for tourists. Blue for locals.

• Coco Taxi

Awesome

It is cool and fun

Tourist attraction

Awful

.Dangerous

The Coco Taxi

By Ms. Wessner

The Coco Taxi

The Coco Taxi is an auto-rickshaw style vehicle that operates in Cuba. The name "coco" means coconut in Spanish and the playful style of the vehicle is inspired by the shape of half a coconut.

This mode of transportation is primarily used as a tourist attraction.

It has the following features:

• Fiberglass shell
• 3 Wheels
• Gas powered engine
• 2-3 Bucket seats behind the driver
• Open air design
• Yellow cocos for tourists. Blue for locals.

• It is incredibly unique to Cuba and originated in the 1990s in Havana.
• It is operated by individuals, not a regulated organization.
• Its 3 wheel design offers a small overall footprint and lighter weight. It can also stand on its own, over a motorcycle for instance.

3 Awesome Things

1. Colorful and playful design draws tourism
2. Low cost and easy to maneuver
3. Offers a unique experience to see Cuba



...also, who wouldn't want a ride in a coconut car?

3 Awful Things

1. Incredibly unsafe. No seatbelts, open air design, drives in high traffic areas. Advised by several governments not to ride them due to safety issues.
2. Gas powered & noisey
3. Expensive to ride it.

What is it?

The funicular is a mode of transport that is sort of a cross between a train and a cable car.

• Attached to a cable that pulls it up/down a sleep slope or mountain
• Different designs - some cars are slanted with several levels inside, sometimes the whole thing is leveled, some have a wedge underneath
• Each is made specifically for the location and slope
• Stops at bottom/top at regular intervals
• Only reverses direction - never turns around
• Always 2 cars - stop at opposite ends of track at the same time, go up/down simultaneously
• Pass each other at a split in the tracks

Left: levels inside the funicular are visible

Right: wedge design

Locations

Funiculars have decreased in popularity over the years due to newer technology and forms of transport, but they are still used as an everyday commute by people in some parts of the world.

• Uncommon in U.S. - found only in select locations like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Los Angeles, California (mainly for tourism)
• Austria - origin of the concept, 'inclined railways' are common there and in surrounding mountainous countries
• Switzerland - country where funiculars are most common today
• South America - found in countries like Chile with mountainous cities

Relationship to Location

• Connected places that used to be inaccessible to people
• Emerged in the early 1500s - before cable cars, gondolas, and regular trains
• Originally powered by a person or animal

The funicular was created specifically for hilly or mountainous regions. The concept is a lot older than you might think, and it was a revolutionary idea for people living in those types of areas.

'Awesome' Things About the Funicular

1. Wheels don't need traction, are only to direct the train
2. minimizes friction and drag.
3. Two cars - weight of car going up helps descending car maintain a controlled pace, weight of car doing down helps pull the other one up
4. extremely energy efficient - only additional power needed is to overcome weight difference (passengers) and friction
5. made the funicular possible before modern energy methods
6. Much more capable & energy efficient on sloped geography than regular trains

Above: two cars passing each other at the funicular's passing loop.

'Awful' Things About the Funicular

1. Very difficult to build - tracks must be laid all along the side of a steep hill or mountain
2. often difficult to get supplies to these places
3. stations may be very difficult to get to before construction
4. Tracks must be laid the whole way - funiculars can't cross ridges and ascend cliffs like cable cars & gondolas
5. less practical in places with extreme mountain terrain
6. Slope of the track needs to be consistent to keep the car level
7. more difficult construction in certain places
8. decreases versatility

My Ideas for Improvement

Additional idea: The rapid elevation gain on these is caused by pressure changes.

Proposed solution: a system inside the car that regulates pressure or changes it more gradually (or at least free gum!)

I think that the funicular would be a lot more practical if it had more versatility.

Proposed solution: an auto-leveling system that would keep the car level on tracks with a changing slope

• less limitations
• easier construction

Information Sources

Image Sources

Glacier Express Research

• Located in Switzerland, starting and ending in Zermatt and St. Moritz via Andermatt in the Swiss Alps.

• The Glacier Express is distinctive to its area and location because it cuts in and out of the Swiss Apls. This is so it can travel faster, rather than going up and down the mountains.

• The Glacier Express itself is unique to Switzerland, but trains are used worldwide.

Awesome

Awful

-Gets you through the Swiss Alps

-Offers great sightseeing, unique experience

-Luxury interior

-Very expensive

-No stopping along the way

-Terrible conditions for photography

The Awesomes and Awfuls of the Glacier Express

Improvements To be Made

-Although the Glacier Express is also meant for tourism and sightseeing, it could travel a bit faster.

-It only moves at an average speed of around 23mph, or around 37km/h.

-The Glacier Express has also been critiqued for bad its service.

-It could also be a bit larger to carry more passengers.

Will's Improvements

• Extra train cart, so it can hold more people

• Window blinds for nighttime / resting

• Runs on solar power, has solar panels on the roof of each cart

• Larger windows

• Moves faster while in tunnels, slower when outside

Nathan's improvements

• Wider body for the train
• extra space between all seats

(mainly for leg room)

• Extra walkway space

(so it's less crowded/chaotic)

• Two seats on each side instead of one on one side

What

The Tuk Tuk is an open-aired three-wheel vehicle. They began as a human pulled cart, but have since become motorized. They can also be known as an auto-rickshaw.

Where?

There is some dispute as to where the Tuk Tuk was created, but it was either Japan or Germany. However, the vehicle was first made popular in Southeast Asia. However, they have know spread to all over the world.

How was the development of the Tuk Tuk related to the terrain?

The Tuk Tuk became popular after World War II. This was due to the need for transportation in many places, but a four wheeled car being unrealistic for many people due to either size and/or cost.

Pros v. Cons

Pros:

1. They can actually go quite fast and are quite reliable to get you to where you need to be
2. They do quite well in an environment with a large amount of traffic - they're pretty maneuverable
3. They offer a lot of jobs to locals in an area, and they're a fun experience for tourists in the areas

Cons:

1. Occasionally, if they go too fast, they are capable of flipping over and causing injuries
2. They lack safety features like seatbelts and airbags, and at least one door
3. You can have your stuff stolen by people driving by, so there isn't much in terms of security either

Michael's Improvement Sketch

Ash's Improvement Sketch

Ellie's Improvement Sketch

Thank You!