262 Ë 8 New progress of HTS Maglev vehicle
These preliminary explorations not only proved the feasibility, but also demons-
trated the following potential technological merits: simple structure, no controller,
lighter vehicle, environmental-friendly with liquid nitrogen or cryo-coolers, energy-
efficient without any electrical power supporting levitation or guidance in any opera-
tion conditions, comfort based on the inherent elastic and damping HTS levitation
[16], low requirements on infrastructure, and low construction and maintenance
costs [17].
Table 8.1 sums up the main R&D events of HTS Maglev vehicle systems in the
world. It is obvious that the first-stage research on the feasibility for the rail transit
applications has been widely accepted based on past intensive studies on the quasi-
static levitation tests and related manufacturing schemes.
In the second-stage research after 2008, the focus was on differentreal operation
conditions, dynamic Maglev behaviors, long-distance HTS Maglev test lines, and
even the future transportation forms of the HTS Maglev vehicle. In early 2006, the
construction cost of a 1.0-km full-scale HTS Maglev line was evaluated to be cheaper
than a light rail vehicle, mainly because of the simple structure and corresponding
low infrastructure cost [17]. Based on this, a 200 m real-scale HTS Maglev test line
“MagLev-Cobra” in Brazil was studied as a substitute design for an urban light track
in 2014 [10, 11, 18]. In fact, all worldwide efforts, including the Chinese work, are
focused on speeding up the engineering and commercialization of a real full-scale HTS
Maglev vehicle system. Thus, in this chapter, the present second-stage research and
corresponding conclusions of an HTS Maglev vehicle, especially those from ASCLab,
Tab. 8.1:R&D history of HTS Maglev vehicle systems.
Years Progress
1934 Patent of the EMS-type Maglev train in Germany
1966 Patent of the LTS Maglev train in USA
1988 Discovery of the first HTS suspension in USA
1996 Levitation of a 220-kg sumo wrestler by a HTS disk in Japan
1997 A HTS Maglev model with a 20-kg weight and 7 mm levitation gap as a China-Germany joint
project
1997 HTS Maglev test vehicle project at SWJTU launched by the “National 863 Program” in China
2000 The first manned HTS Maglev test vehicle “Century” in the world successfully developed by
ASCLab, SWJTU, China
2004 A manned HTS Maglev test vehicle successfully developed by Germany (SupraTrans I) and
Russia
2009 A manned HTS Maglev test vehicle “Cobra I” in Brazil
2010 A manned HTS Maglev test vehicle “SupraTrans II” in Germany
2011 A full-scale HTS Maglev test vehicle “Cobra II” and related new transportation concept
2013 A 45-m-long HTS Maglev ring test line and vehicle “Super-Maglev” in China
2014 The first ETT HTS Maglev ring test line “Super-Maglev” in the world in China
2014 A 200-m-long full-scale HTS Maglev test line and vehicle “Maglev-Cobra” in Brazil