how could cars work on magnetic levitation?

Question

I am doing a project for school on other ways of transport than cars that use gas and oil. I once read in a book that was set in the future that they used magnetic levation to power hover cars.
do you think this concept could work in real life. If we had a metal grid under all roads, and had a negative magnet under every car, then the cars could float. But how could they move forward and back? do you think it is a good idea or should i choose another topic?

Answer 1

Not into engineering, however I believe you must run a current through the grid to pull the cars via the magnets. Look up the bullet trains in europe or asia, I thought they were powered by magnets.

Answer 2

The idea is plausible....in fact, the technology exists today to make it happen. As some of the other responders have already mentioned, this sort of technology is the basis for magnetic-levitation (maglev) bullet trains. Several countries have working prototypes of these trains, but they are primarily for research....not quite ready for prime time yet.

The problem with widespread deployment of maglev technology is that it is currently cost prohibitive. The trains that exist today, for instance, float just above an electified rail. The super-conducting magnets beneath the train wrap around the rail in a sort of "C" shape. This provides vertical lift, but also serves to keep the train aligned with the rail from side-to-side. A maglev automobile would require a similar means of control. The construction of the rails and the electrical infrastructure to support them would be enormously expensive and would take decades

The second major hurdle is an issue of power. Maglev trains require a significant amount of electrical power to drive the magnets in addition to an elaborate cooling system to maintain their super-conducting properties. This is possible in something like a commuter train because of the size of the vehicle. However, the technology is not yet mature enough to squeeze down into a package that would be practical for an automobile.

Although it's not practical given our current state of technology, that doesn't necessarily make it a bad topic for your project. A vast majority of ideas in science and engineering never make it past the drawing board. The important thing is that you fully explore the technology and explain why it could or could not work. If I were your teacher, I would accept a project which turned out not to be feasible, so long as the student put in the time and effort to understand and explain the reasons why. Perhaps instead of automobiles, though, you could focus on the maglev trains currently under development, explain how they work, and the challenges that are currently keeping them from widespread use.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi mmgirl_11,

Yes, the magnetic levitation (or maglev) concept would work, and in fact it IS already working, for example in China, Japan, and Germany, where their maglev trains can travel up to 500 km/h, proving that not only does it work, but it works very well.

How they can move forward? Good question! I thought about the same thing when I first found out about it a few years ago. According to Wikipedia:

"Propulsion coils on the guideway are used to exert a force on the magnets in the train and make the train move forwards. The propulsion coils that exert a force on the train are effectively a linear motor: An alternating current flowing through the coils generates a continuously varying magnetic field that moves forward along the track. The frequency of the alternating current is synchronized to match the speed of the train. The offset between the field exerted by magnets on the train and the applied field create a force moving the train forward."

To read more about maglevs, visit:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/maglev-train.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev_train

Answer 4

Actually, there are already magnetic levitating trains in Japan. The way this works is similar to a linear motor. By using the magnetic fields generated by a current flowing through a conductor, a forward propulsion force can be generated.

Answer 5

You need to study more on maglev. Just putting an electric grid and magnets under the car is pretty simplistic thinking.

Answer 6

eternal magnets could make the coach levitate besides the fact that no longer flow forward. they might desire to be switchable or the coach does no longer have the flexibility to be pushed forward. . And electromagnets can generate a plenty better stress.

Answer 7

Do you want to do a really really cool project?
Look at this link here:

http://www.americanantigravity.com/articles/269/1/Lifter-Overview/Page1.html

they have a lot more topics on that, and you can download all the PDFs telling you how to build your own lifter.

Or google for the "lifter" project.