In a test that seems straight out of a science fiction movie, China managed to accelerate an experimental vehicle from 0 to 700 kilometers per hour in just two secondsa milestone that left the scientific and technological community stunned.
The test was carried out by the team of magnetic levitation (maglev) from the National University of Defense Technology of China, which tested a one-ton vehicle powered by a superconducting electric magnetic levitation systemreported the state broadcaster CCTV.
The speed reached not only impressed with its brutal acceleration, but also broke the world record for platforms of the same type, becoming the fastest test ever recorded for this type of technology.
Images broadcast by Chinese state television show a shocking scene: a chassis-like structure moving at extreme speed on a magnetic levitation track, enveloped in a cloud of steam, after accelerating almost instantly and braking suddenly at the end of the 400 meter route.
The chassis-like structure moving at extreme speed.As CCTV explained, the achievement is the result of more than ten years of research and development, during which engineers had to overcome technical challenges of enormous complexity. Among them, «ultra-high» speed electromagnetic propulsion, the stability of electric suspension, the management of high-power transient energy storage systems and the use of high-field superconducting magnets.
Progress is not limited to a specific record. According to the report, the test opens new possibilities for the future development of maglev transport in vacuum tubes, popularly known as hyperloop, and also for applications linked to aerospace launch assistance and highly demanding experimental tests.
China has been betting heavily on magnetic levitation for more than two decades. In 2004 it acquired the technology and shortly after Shanghai inaugurated a maglev line that connects the outskirts of the city with the Pudong international airport. Since then, state investment in this type of development has not stopped growing.
In September 2022, Chengdu Jiaotong University successfully tested a 2.8-ton maglev vehicle, which managed to levitate 35 millimeters from the asphalt on a highway in the east of the country. And in 2021, China presented the world’s fastest magnetic levitation train, capable of reaching 600 km/h, after five years of research.
The recent test goes one step further: not only for the speed achieved, but for extreme acceleration, a demonstration that reinforces China’s ambition to lead the next ultra-high-speed transportation revolution.
Source: EFE
