Magnetic levitation is one of the technologies that is being developed in recent years, as it offers certain interesting advantages. Now, a group of Chinese engineers has started testing various cars.
The so-called ‘Sky Train’ is a project developed in China with a passenger train that already works in the eastern country. Its operation is based on the magnetic levitation and one of its main points in favor is that it is energetically self-sufficient.
Well, China has also begun to test this technology with cars. The basic principle is to take advantage of the strength of an electromagnetic field to counteract the force of gravity.
The tests were carried out on a 7.9-kilometre stretch of road with 8 different vehicles, 5 of them electric.
In the case of the Sky Train, the system is capable of keeping the wagons 10 meters from the ground and without direct contact. And in the case that concerns us on this occasion, the test vehicles have circulated on a road provided with a conductor rail at a height of 3.5 centimeters from the ground.
How does magnetic levitation work on cars?
The experiment is carried out by a group of engineers from the Southwest Jiaotong Universitywhich prepared a section of highway located in the province of Jiangsu, in the east of China.
Said stretch of motorway has a conductor rail that makes the test vehicle rise 3.5 centimeters above the asphalt when it reaches it. This is possible thanks to the fact that the aforementioned vehicle incorporates a permanent magnet array on their bottoms.
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According to reports China Daily, the tests were carried out on a 7.9-kilometre stretch of highway with 8 different vehicles, 5 of them electric. All of them reached speeds close to 200 km/h, reaching a top speed of 230 km/h during the experiments.
However, as can be seen in the demo video, the vehicle jerks and oscillates at the moment it begins to levitate above the conductor rail, so there is still a lot of work to be done to make this technology viable.
Benefits of magnetic levitation
The authors of this project consider that magnetic levitation can be implemented in the vehicles of the future. Theory says that this technology causes a Reduction of energy consumption, regardless of the type of engine they use. This, logically, results in an increase in autonomy.
In any case, the trials organized by the local transport authorities are aware that there are still many obstacles to overcome. And that’s not counting the astronomical investment which would involve both vehicles and road infrastructure.