Expert interpretation: China's high-speed maglev transportation system leads the world

According to the website of the Russian Sputnik News Agency, on the opening day of the 2022 Berlin Rail Transit Technology Exhibition, China's high-speed maglev system with a speed of 600km/h, which has full independent intellectual property rights, was unveiled in Europe, attracting widespread attention. The system was successfully launched in Qingdao, China in 2021, and is currently the fastest ground transportation vehicle that can be achieved. It is also the world's first high-speed maglev transportation system designed to reach a speed of 600 kilometers per hour.

The EU Transport Commissioner stated at the opening ceremony that Chinese companies showcased green technologies in areas such as hydrogen energy utilization, low emissions from locomotives, and efficient utilization of core components.

According to a report by EFE News Agency, at the end of 2002, a low-speed maglev line was opened in Shanghai, connecting the city center and Pudong International Airport. This was the world's first demonstration line put into commercial operation. Last year, the high-speed maglev transportation system with a speed of up to 600 kilometers per hour, developed by China and fully independent intellectual property rights, was successfully launched in Qingdao. In September of this year, China successfully tested maglev vehicles for the first time on a highway in the east, with a suspended weight of 2.8 tons and a suspension gap of 35 millimeters.

The overall technological level of China's high-speed maglev transportation ranks among the top in the world, among which the full system integration technology and complete industrialization capability have reached the world's leading level. Currently, the Shanghai high-speed maglev line has undergone 20 years of engineering operation, creating a unique Chinese practical experience. On July 20, 2021, the high-speed maglev transportation system with a speed of 600 kilometers per hour was launched. The system achieved multiple key performance indicators in functional tests, debugging line experiments, and simulation analysis, which exceeded the early introduced German technology. At the same time, China has a solid research foundation and technological accumulation in various maglev transportation systems such as conventional maglev transportation, low-temperature superconducting maglev transportation, high-temperature superconducting maglev transportation, and permanent magnet maglev transportation. In addition, there are also a large number of advanced technologies and large-scale engineering operation experience of China's high-speed railways that can be used or referenced. It can be said that China's high-speed maglev transportation system fully possesses the technological capability to lead the world.

Behind the heavy equipment of a great country lies China's forward-looking strategic planning and the joint efforts of industry, academia, and research. During the period from the 15th to the 13th Five Year Plan, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology continued to establish national special projects for high-speed maglev transportation. In recent years, China has successively released medium - and long-term planning documents such as the "Outline for Building a Strong Transportation Country", the "Outline for the National Comprehensive Three dimensional Transportation Network", and the "Outline for the Medium - and Long term Development of Scientific and Technological Innovation in the Transportation Field (2021-2035)", which deploy the technological innovation of high-speed maglev transportation and future scientific and technological innovation in the transportation field, fully exerting the guiding and supporting role of national strategy. At the same time, based on years of theoretical and applied technology research, Chinese universities and research institutes have jointly explored a collaborative innovation model with industry enterprises for cooperative development and joint research and development. The combination of industry, academia, research and application has promoted the speed leap of high-speed maglev transportation system. Especially in the past decade, leading enterprises in the industry have played a prominent role as innovative entities. They are good at integrating the advantageous forces of the upstream, midstream and downstream of the industrial chain, and promoting a significant improvement in industrial innovation efficiency.

The innovative development of China's high-speed maglev transportation system provides a feasible "Chinese solution" for future green and intelligent rail transit.

Compared to traditional wheel rail transportation systems, China's high-speed maglev transportation system can achieve a high speed of 500-600 kilometers per hour, filling the speed gap between high-speed trains and aerospace, representing the development direction of high-speed rail transportation systems. In the future, it is expected to not only serve the pattern of China's rail transit industry, but also be applied to some important node cities along the "the Belt and Road", raising the transportation speed to the highest level of ground transportation.

In the field of intelligent technology applications, China's high-speed maglev transportation system is the culmination of artificial intelligence, big data, and other technologies. Maglev trains have been equipped with technology attributes such as autonomous driving, intelligent sensing, and intelligent communication since their inception. The application of new materials also runs through all aspects of maglev transportation systems. Therefore, digital technology is closely integrated with high-speed maglev transportation systems and its application is becoming increasingly profound.

In terms of green technology, the advantages of China's high-speed maglev transportation system are particularly significant. From a technical perspective, there is no mechanical contact between maglev trains and tracks, and there is no need to transmit force and energy through mechanical transmission structures. This first means that maglev trains can accelerate and decelerate faster, running more efficiently and quickly. Secondly, during long-distance operation, the energy consumption per kilometer of maglev transportation is much lower than that of cars, airplanes, etc., and the energy-saving and emission reduction benefits are significant. Statistics show that when maglev trains run at speeds of 350-400 kilometers per hour, their energy consumption is only equivalent to 70% of high-speed trains, 1/5 of buses, and 1/6 of aviation. Thirdly, due to the lack of mechanical contact between the vehicle and track, the force distribution is continuous, resulting in less mechanical noise and environmental vibration caused by the maglev transportation system. The electromagnetic coil and track have almost no mechanical wear, and the maintenance and repair costs of the vehicle and track are lower. In addition, the technical principles also determine that maglev trains have low risks of slipping and derailment, and their climbing and turning abilities are much higher than other ground transportation modes. Therefore, the adaptability of the line is extremely strong, and when planning the line, it can flexibly adapt to the terrain and save land.

Next, there is still vast room for imagination in the research and application of China's high-speed maglev transportation system. From a short-term perspective, we should continue to promote development through engineering, advance the construction of long-distance demonstration operation lines for the 600 kilometer per hour high-speed maglev transportation system, and accelerate the integration of the relevant industrial chain system for the 600 kilometer per hour maglev transportation. From a long-term perspective, the high-speed maglev transportation system can further develop into the field of military civilian integration, in addition to civilian passenger transport applications. At the same time, when the high-speed maglev transportation system develops to a speed of 1000 kilometers per hour, related cutting-edge technologies can also be expanded and integrated into the field of deep space and deep-sea exploration. In the future, with the increase of national strategic support, various forward-looking technologies such as conventional magnetic levitation, low-temperature superconductivity, high-temperature superconductivity, and permanent magnetic levitation are also expected to make further breakthroughs. (Interviewed expert: Zhao Chunfa, researcher of the Traction Power State Key Laboratory of Southwest Jiaotong University, and Lin Zihan, reporter)