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- A research team from the Quantum Machines Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) has developed an alternative system to the batteries and engines currently used in vehicles.
- The system uses a small amount of energy for startup, and once the magnetic field is generated, the maintenance becomes autonomous.
- The material undergoes a chemical process where it’s mixed with wax to create a paste, which is then used to design a plate where magnets are placed in a grid pattern.
A team of researchers from Japan has brought magnetic levitation technology from trains to cars, promising future models that won’t need engines or batteries. This breakthrough could revolutionize the automotive industry as we know it.
Magnetic levitation technology, which has already transformed train transportation with speeds reaching up to 620 mph, is now being adapted for automobiles. The system works by reducing the natural friction between vehicles and the road, allowing for higher maximum speeds and unprecedented energy efficiency.
How Japan is bringing maglev technology to cars
A research team from the Quantum Machines Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) has developed an alternative system to the batteries and engines currently used in vehicles. The researchers believe that even hydrogen cars aren’t efficient enough for our future needs.
The OIST team has created a test track where a vehicle moves using magnetic levitation that barely requires external energy. The system uses a small amount of energy for startup, and once the magnetic field is generated, the maintenance becomes autonomous.
Future cars without batteries or engines
The magnetic levitation track makes it possible to eliminate batteries or combustion engines that generate propulsion energy. This revolutionary invention causes objects to rise a few inches above the road, eliminating all types of friction that reduce car efficiency.
Vehicles can move without friction and without the need for mechanical or electrical propulsion, though the car will need some force to start. The researchers have used diamagnetic materials along the tracks to generate a large magnetic field that provides the initial energy.
One challenge this technology faces is its dependence on electricity. If a sudden power outage occurs, the system stops working and breaks the magnetic field on which the vehicles float. But the OIST scientists have thought of a solution.
The graphite powder breakthrough
Powdered graphite has been the key to this experiment. The material undergoes a chemical process where it’s mixed with wax to create a paste, which is then used to design a plate where magnets are placed in a grid pattern. The magnets themselves are strong enough to cause the magnetic levitation effect.
(I’ve always wondered what would happen if you dropped your phone on one of these roads—would it just float away? These are the questions that keep me up at night!)
When will this project become reality?
The challenges facing magnetic levitation are numerous. The first is the difficulty of bringing this technology to all parts of the world. The prototype has small dimensions and has not yet been made at full scale.
If a magnetic levitation road network is built, new problems may arise that haven’t been considered in the small-scale project. A larger structure also implies greater infrastructure, and some countries may not be interested in making this investment.
The implementation of electric cars is already challenging for certain countries with the need to install charging points. Magnetic levitation could take decades to arrive despite being proven as a more than efficient means of transportation.
What do you think about floating cars? Would you trade your gas-guzzler for a vehicle that hovers silently above the road? The future might be closer than we imagine, and it floats just a few inches off the ground.
