COMMON QUESTIONS

 

How do you view the company growth so far? What role can Overland play to bring in new innovations into the industry?

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As a company, Overland ATS has grown from a big idea into a lean startup machine. Since November of 2017, we have added one new staff member and have started to ramp up our marketing efforts to increase awareness of Overland’s name and goals. The Overland Automated Transportation System can bring about a new type of long-distance travel, one that seamlessly integrates with our existing roads and bridges and tunnels, The Inter-modal Skyway. Overland will be the first Dual-Mode transportation infrastructure project that allows a user to take their own vehicle up to 150MPH safely and securely.

 

​​Tell us how your company first came up with the idea of automated systems to manage traffic control? How has the journey been for Overland Automated and its partners?

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Wally Kissel, our founder was the first to think of an inter-modal system of travel. Overland looked at the problems of traffic congestion and gridlock and decided that humans should be taken out of the equation. Therefore, all vehicles would be run by a central command area.

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To date there are no working examples of this, and the Overland ATS Skyway is still being conceptualized and engineered. Overland ATS’ journey has been difficult and rewarding, large infrastructure projects are easy to look down on and shoot shots at for the larger, more over-hyped, less planned infrastructure projects. (Hyperloop, Arrivo-Loop).

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However, Overland remains the leader in:

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1. Most granted patents on an inter-modal transportation system

2. The only viable transportation system that can merge with existing street and highway grids and could be implemented today.

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​Elaborate how Overland Automated plans to take smart cities initiatives to more and more people through its technologies and solutions?

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Overland ATS can bring a faster, more reliant form of travel to Smart Cities, it’s centrally controlled traffic center would allow all people to not worry about driving, or congestion on the arterial roads. Since Overland is raised above ground, it will also not impede standard vehicles on the regular roads, as well as pedestrian and other types of traffic. Overland is the only transportation infrastructure system that allows us to keep existing vehicles and not completely change our way of life.

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​​Could you please share the experience of your first product launch? What kind of responses your products have received from your consumers over the years?

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We have yet to launch a “product.” Overland ATS is our Transportation Solution that we are raising capital for, in order to build a full-scale test facility in South Central Florida.

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​​What do customers look for when they partner Overland Automated and how it builds long-lasting relationships with its clients?

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We hope to bring a new-fresh perspective to the Transportation Infrastructure market, something that isn’t overhyped, exuberantly indebted or not feasible in the long run. We hope to bring forward a new generation of transportation in the U.S.

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Briefly describe the various product or services that are unique to Overland Automated and what future improvements can we expect to see in these products?

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The Entire Overland Skyway is Unique in that it is the only Skyway/intermodal system on the market. We plan to bring out new and improved, engineered drawings and the like to further add legitimacy to the Overland Automated Transportation system. We plan to add handicap and Medical Emergency as well as military access and facilitation.

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What does the future hold for Overland Automated and what are the milestones the company seeks to achieve in the years to come?

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The future is bright for Overland ATS, we plan on raising capital and building out our engineering department and test facility, this will allow us to prove and sell the Overland ATS Skyway system.

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How does Overland work?

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The Elevated High-speed Overland Skyway is integrated seamlessly with the local arterial and street grid. i.e. dual mode. Essentially, you drive your car like normal on the existing roads, and when you are ready for the longer portion of your trip, you “merge” onto the Overland Skyway, which will now control your speed. Think of it like an extra lane on every road that has no speed-limit, no traffic lights and is also elevated 10-20 feet off the ground. 

 

How did you first come up with the idea?

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Wally Kissel, our founder, first came up with the idea when he noticed the massive amount of vehicular deaths that occur each year. Slowly, Wally worked on an idea of an elevated skyway that could allow vehicles to move at increased speeds and improve highway safety tenfold. Slowly Overland ATS has changed and grown and become what it is today, the perfect compromise between existing and future technology.

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How does it compare to the vacuum-sealed tubes found in the Hyperloop One project?

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Hyperloop’s elevated structures are inherently more complicated, because they are reliant on the tube system. Their tubes also require constant maintenance, upkeep and spot checking, because leaks in the tube can be potentially deadly to Hyperloop passengers. Also, they do not seamlessly coexist with our existing road systems, because the only place to get on and off the Hyperloop system is at a “station” whereas each vehicle on the Overland System would be autonomous and have “no strings attached,” therefore cutting back on infrastructure costs and allowing us to utilize our existing roadways.

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How does it differ from Arrivo’s idea to use magnetically levitating pods along tracks at 200mph?

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We do not use Mag-Lev. Our main selling point is our inter-modal design that allows normal road vehicle usage on top of Overland Skyway Usage, maglev designs are also very neat and efficient, however they are inherently more dangerous considering slowing down 200mph of frictionless mass. 

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How much would it cost to fit out a standard city with these?

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Overland does have a formula for determining cost of a fully deployed system over several decades.

An elevated urban network divides the city into approximately one square mile areas. Each square mile of urban area requires 3 miles of skyway including on and off access ramps. A city with one million population and population density of 2,500 people per mile is 400 square miles. There must be 1200 miles of urban network. At $5 million/mile infrastructure cost is $6 billion. That is a lot of money, but a bargain compared to maglev or light rail. The cost of a six lane expressways or urban arterial can vary from around $10 million per mile up to $200 million per mile for infrastructure only.

 

On a skyway or highway, the vehicles are owned and operated by private individuals or fleet operators such as Uber, Lyft. Zip Car, cab companies, rental cars, or long term leases. The toll is to be 1¢ per lineal foot of vehicle length. A 15-foot-long dual mode car pays 15¢/mile plus 5¢/mile for electricity, 3¢ per mile for insurance, plus 3¢/mile for command and control. The six-lane expressway capacity is 3000 vehicles per hour each way at full capacity. This is a total operation cost of 26¢ per mile. On demand ride share companies will have to get rates down to 50¢ per mile. The Overland can carry 26,000 vehicles per hour or 52,000 total each way.

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The total urban square mile area in the entire U.S. is 83,500 square miles requiring 250,000 miles of skyway. There are 62,500 miles in the national highway network (includes all interstates) for 125,000 miles each way. A total of 375,000 miles of skyway would carry approximately 70% to 75% of all vehicle miles travelled in the U.S. The cost of the infrastructure would be $1.875 trillion, and the U.S. would have the most efficient, affordable transportation system and we could move on to other problems.

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Would this work for inter-city travel or is it more for a metro region?

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Yes, we are mainly focusing on intercity travel, and eventually it could be worked into arterial street grids. The system is intended to alleviate heavy traffic in urban and congested roadways in cities, but it will also be very advantageous for the “long-Haul” portion of any trip.

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Can any car run along these tracks? How does it account for different wheel spans?

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No, vehicles will have to be Overland Specific to run on the Overland Skyway.

 

When can we expect to see this system hit the roads?

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Currently, we are working on building media attention to attract investors to build a full-scale proof of concept in South Orange County, Florida. 

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Do you think your system could co-exist with Hyperloop, or is the latter dead in the water?

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Our concerns with Hyperloop still remain, it’s much more costly to build and doesn’t have any inter-modal features that make it special.

 

QUICK FACTS ABOUT OVERLAND ATS

 

Founding Year: 2012

Headquarters: Gainesville, FL

 

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

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Waldemar F. Kissel, Jr. is founder of Overland ATS, has BSME degree from University of Notre Dame, MBA Harvard Business School. Has 23 patents issued and several pending. Focus now is entirely on Overland ATS. Waldemar Kissel has worked in automotive, defense industry, modular housing and operated land development, general contracting, commercial development, television provider, telephone operator and internet service provider, also active in assorted investments. Developments include several luxury student apartment complexes.

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Waldemar Kissel applied his innovation skills in designing, developing, and marketing products that consumers wanted and were successful.

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AWARDS

12 Patents on Overland ATS Designs

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ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND PRESS REQUESTS

 

For additional questions or comment requests, please call 352.248.0161 or email us.