Researchers at China's National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) have accelerated a one-ton vehicle from a dead stop to 435 mph (700 km/h) in under two seconds – then back to zero mph on about a 1/4 mile (1,312 ft / 400 meter) magnetic levitation test track. It's not just fast – it's absurd. That makes it the quickest superconducting maglev acceleration ever demonstrated.
And yes, the footage looks exactly like what you'd expect: a blur. And it sounds like Maverick doing an unauthorized fly-by.
While a standing 0-435 mph standing start is impressive, it's by no means meant as a passenger experience. The g-forces alone wouldn't quite turn would-be passengers into Jell-O, but it puts it just beyond expert fighter pilot blackout territory at around 10 g. Surprisingly, the stop, as quick as it is, would only be around 5 g. Either way, it would make for a fun amusement park ride that you'll never remember.
But NUDT isn't stopping there. The eventual goal is to hit the 621 mph (1,000 km/h) mark, surpassing the typical 550-580 mph (885-933 km/h) that passenger planes generally cruise at.
The system tested uses "high-temperature superconducting magnets" with electric superconducting coils on the sled that create a magnetic field that interacts with the track to create levitation.
Though called "high-temperature superconductors (HTS)," it actually operates using liquid nitrogen, closer to -321 °F (–196 °C) ... which is significantly warmer than traditional superconductors that use liquid helium at temperatures pushing –452 °F (–269 °C).
SCMP reported in its article implying other uses beyond passenger train technology, citing it could be used as assisted takeoff by significantly reducing the cost of getting rockets off the ground. Somewhat similar to Spinlaunch, in propelling objects vertically before requiring a staged rocket to complete the journey to orbit and beyond. Or the superconducting magnets could be used to emulate high-speed flight for testing specialized equipment.
The US military has been using a related technology for years on aircraft carriers to launch aircraft off the deck at speeds fast enough to sustain flight. EMALS (Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System) has been operational since the late 2010s, replacing steam catapults with linear motors that can operate at room temperature. EMALS tech is nowhere near the sophistication found in NUDT's superconducting demo, but is cost effective and won't g-lock a pilot before they're in the air.
Interestingly enough, recently China showcased its own first EMALS on its newest carrier, the Fujian, a first for the PLA Navy.
The US military has toyed with railguns over the years – large magnetic guns that can fire sabots upwards of Mach 7 and as far out as 100 miles (161 km), but have mostly abandoned the projects due to the extreme costs of quickly worn-out parts and eye-watering amounts of power required per shot.
If railguns set the tone for what electromagnetic acceleration is capable of, then China's NUDT demo looks to be the next step in evolution, refining the technology for everyday transportation, and turning a ~14-hour drive from Shanghai to Beijing into a theoretical ~2-hour train ride.
Japan's SCMaglev (SC for superconducting) is currently the gold standard for maglev trains, though it's not officially open to the public. It's been in development since 1962 and it wasn't until a decade later that it did its first successful levitation run and hit 37 mph (60 km/h). It wasn't long before an unmanned version set a staggering world record of 321 mph (517 km/h).
Thirty-five years after development started, in 1997, was the first time anyone heard the "All aboard!" and test passengers went for a 330 mph (531 km/h) maglev train ride. In 2015, the train set another world record for a 375 mph (603 km/h) pass – a record which still stands – on its 26.6-mile (42.8 km) test track. That's about a football field every half second or so. But to this day, the SCMaglev still faces approval roadblocks – from prefecture vetoes and environmental blowback, to cost concerns and an overall systemic risk aversion to name a few – preventing it from being completed and opening to the public.
As it stands, there's only one true high-speed maglev train in operation in the world, and it's in ... yup, you guessed it, China.
The Shanghai Maglev train connects Pudong International Airport to Longyang Road Station – a distance of only 18.6 miles (30 km), but in that short stretch, it can hit top speeds of 268 mph (431 km/h), making the trip in 7-8 minutes versus what would otherwise be a 40-45 minute drive.
Compared to regulatory hurdles in places like Japan or the US, it feels very much like a question of when, not if, China gets this train tech off the ground. And when it does, with China's seemingly "build now, ask questions later" approach, it's going to change passenger commutes in a hurry.
Source: SCMP
