Transport

Low-cost passive maglev upgrade tested on regular rail tracks

Low-cost passive maglev upgrade tested on regular rail tracks
The latest IronLev prototype was presented at LetExpo 2024 in Verona this week, where its successful test run along an existing rail track was revealed
The latest IronLev prototype was presented at LetExpo 2024 in Verona this week, where its successful test run along an existing rail track was revealed
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The latest IronLev prototype was presented at LetExpo 2024 in Verona this week, where its successful test run along an existing rail track was revealed
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The latest IronLev prototype was presented at LetExpo 2024 in Verona this week, where its successful test run along an existing rail track was revealed
Veneto President Luca Zaia being introduced to IronLev's latest technology demonstrator at LetExpo 2024
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Veneto President Luca Zaia being introduced to IronLev's latest technology demonstrator at LetExpo 2024
The latest IronLev prototype successfully completed a test run along 2 km of existing track in the Veneto Region of Italy
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The latest IronLev prototype successfully completed a test run along 2 km of existing track in the Veneto Region of Italy
The 1-ton IronLev prototype moves friction-free down existing track on magnetic skids
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The 1-ton IronLev prototype moves friction-free down existing track on magnetic skids
IronLev says that the magnetic skids levitate the vehicle "by interacting directly with traditional railway tracks"
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IronLev says that the magnetic skids levitate the vehicle "by interacting directly with traditional railway tracks"
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Maglev transport systems present an attractive option for the mobility mix. They're quick and quiet, and are low maintenance. But setup can be costly and complex. Italy's IronLev is looking to change that with a passive system that runs on regular rail tracks.

IronLev was founded in 2017 as a joint venture between engineering innovation studio Girotto Brevetti and Ales Tech, a startup formed by university students who developed a suspension system for the SpaceX Hyperloop competition.

Instead of using significant amounts of power to run a maglev transport system based around electromagnets, the collaboration has tapped into passive magnetic forces to create a "cushion of air that physically separates the vehicle from the track."

At company launch time, a technology demonstrator of the U-shaped passive ferromagnetic levitation technology had already been built and tested under lab conditions. This was followed in 2018 with a trolley platform hosting a Tesla EV weighing 2 tons that was moved "with a simple light hand pressure."

IronLev - welcome to the post-wheel future

"Thanks to the features of our technology and to low and speed independent frictions, we can move a 10-ton wagon with the same force that is needed to lift a 22-lb backpack," claimed company co-founder, Luca Cesaretti. "And we aim at cutting the infrastructure costs tenfold with respect to existing systems."

Indeed, where conventional maglev networks involve heavy investment in new infrastructure, the idea here is to make use of more than 1.5 million kilometers of existing iron railways tracks around the world. And now the team has now taken a test vehicle to a 2-km (1.2-mile) stretch of rail track on the Adria-Mestre route in cooperation with the Veneto Region of Italy.

Tech video - Magnetic Levitation on a existing rail

The prototype suspended on magnetic skids weighed in at a ton and managed to get up to a self-limited speed of 70 km/h (43.5 mph) thanks to motors at each skid. The team hasn't revealed any further details on the latest prototype, but stresses that zero modifications were made to the tracks and that no elements were added to the infrastructure.

IronLev is also claiming that its patented technology is "extremely cost-effective," but as we noted in our coverage of the similar Sky Train setup in China a couple of years ago – albeit a suspended carriage system – permanent magnets can be an expensive commodity, with a high percentage of rare earth metal production controlled by China.

As such, we'll have to wait for the project to move closer to a real-world commercial debut as "people-mover transport systems for sustainable and low-noise mobility solutions in urban environments." The next step in that process will be building a 20-tonne vehicle and ramping the speed up to 200 km/h (124 mph).

Source: IronLev

View gallery - 5 images
16 comments
16 comments
Trylon
No details on how this works. It has to be magnetic attraction since it's not a repulsion system like Inductrack. As for the cost of the permanent magnets, that may not be a problem if and when Niron gets their product to market.
https://newatlas.com/automotive/gm-niron-clean-earth-magnet-motor/
warmer
I don't see any mechanism to keep this "on the tracks" I have traveled across the country by rail and some sections are quite bumpy. Without something keeping it from lifting on a bump. I am not 100% convinced this would be safe at high speeds.
Thony
If you are afraid of bumpy rails for this i dont see why even regular wheels would go at high speed on them
ClauS
No picture with the students working on this Innovation, no picture with the details of the innovation, but the mandatory one of the important person who had no contribution to the project except, maybe, of an unused, rusty train line ... because reasons.
michael_dowling
This is revolutionary if it pans out at scale. The only wear appears to be to the horizontal steel wheels that keep the thing centered over the rail,and maybe those could be replaced with a magnetic centering mechanism. Especially for moving bulk cargo like grains,ore and other heavy material,it would save big time on transportation costs.
KaiserPingo
Regular train wheels are constructed and shaped to stay on track even with quite high irregularities in the tracks.
This does not provide that, but requires extremely well constructed tracks that even in high/low temperatures stay 100% alligned.
It's going to be costly to upgrade tracks to that persistent quality required.
But there could be usecases for this...
moreover
Lower speeds might make this a solution for subways which can't travel as fast anyway due to frequent stops.
Uncle Anonymous
If the inventors can get this adopted by railways, it could be a real game changer, especially if the speeds are increased. Another advantage not mentioned in the article would be lower maintenance costs to the railways for track maintenance due to less ware on the tracks.
CraigAllenCorson
Seems to work alright on a straightaway...
Steven Cohn
I don't see how this will be able to navigate the various switching, track crossings, etc on traditional rail. The mechanism will never be able to get through the various track configurations.
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