Air travel and traditional cargo transport are expected to be replaced by a “supersystem” that will allow private cars and public transport to travel at speeds of up to 645 km/h.
Traveling at hypersonic speeds is the desire of many people, moving from one place to another in the shortest possible time is something that is already being worked on, with important advances.
It should be noted that currently technology is already available that allows rapid travel from one city to another in a matter of minutes, a clear example is Maglev, the fastest Japanese bullet train in the world. It uses magnetic levitation, which is achieved by an electrodynamic suspension system.
Thanks to this technology the train can reach speeds of up to 603 kilometers per hour, and is, so far, the fastest public transport. Of course, there are planes that manage to exceed this speed, but on the ground it is so far the fastest.
However, recently a new concept of transport based on superconducting highways that could allow high-speed travel.
Superconducting highways will power trains, buses and cars at unimaginable speeds
A group of researchers from the University of Houstonin collaboration with German researchers, have found a method to improve public transport to make it faster.
Through superconductors it will be possible to move people, cargo and energy using the existing road infrastructure. The costs will be reduced and the investment will be minimal, so new roads will not be built, but will be adapted to new technology.
They claim that traditional air travel and cargo transportation will become obsolete when replaced by a “supersystem” that will allow private cars or public transport to travel at speeds of up to 645 km/h.
Zhifeng Ren, Director of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH, stated: “Superconnectivity is a very promising physical phenomenon for lossless transmission of electrical power, powering super-fast magnetically levitating trains, and energy storage.”
The consumption of electrical energy and fuel will be drastically reduced
Las superconducting roads will emit too much heat, and to solve this problem the researchers claim to have the solution. This is liquefied hydrogen, a clean energy that will be used to cool the superconductor guide to -253 degrees Celsius.
At the moment, the researchers already have a model to demonstrate the feasibility of the project. They have succeeded in levitating a magnet over a superconducting track and have used liquefied nitrogen to cool the superconductors.
They explain that private trains or cars will only need special magnets that will be integrated under the bodywork, this will allow magnetic levitation. On the other hand, existing road infrastructure will have superconducting rails and liquefied hydrogen to prevent overheating.
Vehicles with magnetized undercarriages, which can be trains, cargo trucks, public transport trucks or private cars, would levitately enter the superconducting highway and move at high speed to reach their destination.
Leaving this road, they will be able to continue their journey powered by traditional engines, either combustion or electric. Of course, this will reduce costs and the environmental footprint, which is the objective of the project and the development of this technology.
