Maglev rail technology developer Nevomo says it has successfully tested a railway vehicle that can levitate on conventional railway lines.
It said the tests prove that high-speed intercity railways could be set up on existing track infrastructure.
In a demonstration of the technology in Poland yesterday, a 6m-long, two-ton rail vehicle traveled along a 720m-long test track, going from 0-100km/h in 60 seconds.
It began levitating at just over 70km/h and reached 135km/h with levitation and magnetic guidance staying stable during the short trip.
Nevomo says high-speed maglev trains would eventually be able to travel at 550km/h.
After researching and developing the technology for 3.5 years, the company said the test showed the possibility of retrofitting existing rail infrastructure with a linear motor and magnetic levitation devices.
“By leveraging existing infrastructure, we offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to modernising existing rail transport,” said Nevomo co-founder Przemek Ben Paczek.
Sebastian Kaluza, Nevomo’s product development director, said: “We already collaborate with industry giants, including Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, SNCF, Duisport, and GATX to define various applications for MagRail, and these successful tests pave the way for pre-commercial operational pilots.”
- See the maglev test:
So far, Nevomo has raised €11m of funding including for maglev research and testing. That includes €5.5m in equity and €5.5m in non-dilutive EU grants.
Additionally, last year the company was awarded €17.5m from the European Commission (EIC Accelerator: €2.5m grant and €15m equity). Funds are also being raised for a Pre-Series A round of €7m. Nevomo’s main investors include EIT InnoEnergy and Hütter Private Equity.
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