Cal State Long Beach was awarded in September $245,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the engineering department for research on magnetic levitation technologies.
Magnetic levitation, or maglev, is a form of transportation technology that eliminates the need for fossil fuel as a direct fuel source. It uses electricity — powered by fossil fuels — and a system of powerful magnets to lift and propel.
The CSULB engineering department is working with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories to develop a maglev system to be used for moving goods and other cargo. This system will be using an electrodynamic levitation system, which is the only form of maglev capable of moving a container.
These funds have been used to improve a CSULB test vehicle, including the purchase of necessary fixtures. Dale White and Shannon Foss are the two graduate students who have been working on the maglev prototype. White works on the electrodynamics, while Foss works on the freight logistics.
“[Maglev technology] needs to be proven still,” said Ken James, project director. “The only way to prove it in this economy is to prove that it makes money.”
James said it is difficult to prove that maglev trains are profitable because they are a less familiar mode of transportation.
A maglev train is cheaper to build than a traditional highway. It costs $70 million per mile to build a maglev track, compared to $200 million per mile for an eight-lane freeway. Also, maglev trains cost little to nothing to maintain, so they make money immediately, James said.
A maglev train does not cause any pollution, according to James. It also has the smallest footprint when compared to other modes of transportation, meaning that it doesn’t take up a lot of space. When a maglev track is built, homes will not need to be destructed. It is also elevated, so the maglev track may be built over existing freeways or other infrastructures.
Due to the current problems of transportation emissions, maintenance costs and required space, maglev trains seem to be a viable transportation method.
“Instead of trying to make other forms [of transportation] cleaner, we went for a new form altogether,” James said. He quoted Albert Einstein: “You’re not going to solve any problems with the technology that caused those problems.”
The Center for Commercial Deployment of Transportation Technologies, a CSULB-sponsored center, received the award, which will be distributed to the engineering department.
“CCDoTT is a partnership of academic institutions, government and commercial entities, formed to enable the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation and other sponsors to leverage advanced technologies in solving defense and commercial transportation infrastructure problem,” according to a press release.
CSULB’s test vehicle, which would not carry people, is near completion. The next step is to make a commercial demonstrator, which is a full-scale working model. With the proper funds, this could be completed within the next three years.
This article was modified Nov. 4 at 7:52 p.m. Maglev technology does not eliminate the need for fossil fuels entirely.