CHINA has tested a magnet-powered levitating car which it claims is capable of reaching top speeds of 143 miles per hour.
Video shows a series of tests where Chinese researchers appear to lift several moving vehicles an inch above the ground on a five-mile-long conductor rail. Ac Synchronous Permanent Magnet Electric Motor
Scientists floated the cars using powerful magnets installed on the vehicles’ floors.
Eight modified cars were tested, CNBC reports, with one vehicle reportedly reaching a 143mph top speed - more than double the average speed limit on U.S. interstates.
Chinese journalist Qinduo Xu posted a video of these floating car trials on Twitter.
The caption on Xu’s Tweet reads: "A #maglev [magnetic levitation] vehicle technology test saw a 2.8-tonne car float 35 millimeters above the road and run on a highway in #Jiangsu, east China. A permanent magnet array was installed for levitation."
Maglev technology is being tested for its ability to reduce electric vehicle [EV] energy consumption.
The less energy an EV uses, the greater distance it can travel on a single charge.
China’s Maglev testing appears to show promise - but critics have posed some essential questions that remain unanswered.
One Twitter user replied to Xu’s Tweet: "How do you steer when wheels aren’t touching and how would you make a sudden stop if something or someone ran out in front of you?"
Another Twitter user responded: "I assumed once perfected they would be on rails. In other words you wouldn’t be stopping. It would be like getting off a bus stop or a train stop."
Self-driving vehicles similarly aim to synchronize road travel the likelihood of hazards.
A separate Twitter account replied to Xu’s Tweet: "And how will this not cost a bazillion dollars?"
Countries would have to invest massive amounts of money in infrastructure to make floating vehicles a viable option.
It’s far more likely that scientists and engineers will continue perfecting electric cars and self-driving technology before Maglev vehicles become a reality.
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