Agreed, It’d be interesting to see the cost breakdowns.
I guess you have to spend more on tracks to get higher speeds, but still to get to 600kph you must put a lot of electricity into that thing.
If sort of feels like maglev should be able recover a decent amount of electricity during braking, but maybe there are practical constraints - or just too much loss to wind resistance.
Maybe it comes down to just a handful of magnets round a few axles being cheaper than a long line of magnets the length of the track.
If sort of feels like maglev should be able recover a decent amount of electricity during braking
Almost certainly as much as regenerative breaking on an EV, so upwards of 90%. Like you mentioned, it’s the same thing in another shape.
A high speed train probably doesn’t break all that much, though, and I’m guessing wind resistance is the biggest energy cost either way. Which is why people talk about putting a maglev in an evacuated tunnel, although you now have an oversize oil pipeline around your maglev tracks adding further to the cost.
Maybe it comes down to just a handful of magnets round a few axles being cheaper than a long line of magnets the length of the track.
It’s true. You can make a pretty cheap magnet, but never as cheap as a couple stupid rods on the ground (although at high speeds I bet it’s not just rods but ultra-precise rods). Some systems put the magnets just in the car instead, though, and usually with high-speed rail acquiring a continuous corridor of land to build is the big hurdle, so it might make sense to go as high-end as possible once you have it.
Agreed, It’d be interesting to see the cost breakdowns.
I guess you have to spend more on tracks to get higher speeds, but still to get to 600kph you must put a lot of electricity into that thing.
If sort of feels like maglev should be able recover a decent amount of electricity during braking, but maybe there are practical constraints - or just too much loss to wind resistance.
Maybe it comes down to just a handful of magnets round a few axles being cheaper than a long line of magnets the length of the track.
Almost certainly as much as regenerative breaking on an EV, so upwards of 90%. Like you mentioned, it’s the same thing in another shape.
A high speed train probably doesn’t break all that much, though, and I’m guessing wind resistance is the biggest energy cost either way. Which is why people talk about putting a maglev in an evacuated tunnel, although you now have an oversize oil pipeline around your maglev tracks adding further to the cost.
It’s true. You can make a pretty cheap magnet, but never as cheap as a couple stupid rods on the ground (although at high speeds I bet it’s not just rods but ultra-precise rods). Some systems put the magnets just in the car instead, though, and usually with high-speed rail acquiring a continuous corridor of land to build is the big hurdle, so it might make sense to go as high-end as possible once you have it.