Shanghai's MagLev Train stupidly fast...

[monotonehell]

Below is a link to a video that shows the 30Km trip from LongYang Station just outside of downtown Shanghai to the Pudong International Airport in around 7mins (real time) as the train reaches speeds of over 400Kmph.

Electrification you say?

See video:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/techeblog/videos/107/

[Edgar]

Impressive, too bad there is hardly any nice scenery to look at on the entire trip.

How much does each trip cost?

[monotonehell]

Impressive, too bad there is hardly any nice scenery to look at on the entire trip.

How much does each trip cost?

Y40 one way, there's apparently a 20% discount if you hold a valid air ticket.

I wonder what the discount is when it catches fire?
http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/2 ... s_fire.htm

The video said it takes 7mins, but now I see many sites that say it takes 20mins.

[Omicron]

What's even more frightening is that any old schmuck (a rich one, admittedly, although the current financial situation proves that rich old schmucks are surprisingly common) can purchase for themselves a Bugatti Veyron and blast across the countryside at the same 400km/h.

[Wayno]

i've done this maglev trip a couple of times now - such a smooth ride!

[Shuz]

Can such a system be used for standard rail networks?

[AG]

Can such a system be used for standard rail networks?

What exactly does one mean by "standard" rail networks? Shanghai's maglev is based on the German based maglev technology, developed by Transrapid. The Japanese have also been developing maglev using a different method, but have run into issues as the magnetic fields interfere with other commonly carried objects like credit cards.

[rhino]

What's even more frightening is that any old schmuck (a rich one, admittedly, although the current financial situation proves that rich old schmucks are surprisingly common) can purchase for themselves a Bugatti Veyron and blast across the countryside at the same 400km/h.

Where would "any old schmuck" buy a Bugatti Veyron? I was under the impression that only a handful of them were built?

[Omicron]

What's even more frightening is that any old schmuck (a rich one, admittedly, although the current financial situation proves that rich old schmucks are surprisingly common) can purchase for themselves a Bugatti Veyron and blast across the countryside at the same 400km/h.

Where would "any old schmuck" buy a Bugatti Veyron? I was under the impression that only a handful of them were built?

You can still order them; I think there's a targa version due out next year, too. There are production limits each year given the hundreds of hours of labour invested in each car, but that just means the waiting list will blow out a few years rather than limiting orders. With the volumes of money poured into Bugatti by Volkswagen, you can bet that they'll take any order they can get.

In any case, the same driver's licence that lets you potter to the shops in a 55hp Volkswagen Polo permits you to demolish London to Paris in three seconds in a 1001hp Veyron. Vroom.

[Strangled Cat]

Since we're already off topic with the talk of 400km/h Veyrons, I thought I'd like to ensure you all that if there's too many rich schmucks driving Veyrons, Bugatti has devised a cunning plan to sort out the rich schmucks from the really rich schmucks. Personally, I just think they want to reclaim the top speed crown...

http://www.caradvice.com.au/23768/bugat ... on-veyron/

[loud]

Since we're already off topic with the talk of 400km/h Veyrons, I thought I'd like to ensure you all that if there's too many rich schmucks driving Veyrons, Bugatti has devised a cunning plan to sort out the rich schmucks from the really rich schmucks. Personally, I just think they want to reclaim the top speed crown...

http://www.caradvice.com.au/23768/bugat ... on-veyron/

one of my mates is actually over in Geneva taking photos at the motor show... it is a combination of matt and gloss blue paint and features different 20" rims and a new leather trim... The only thing different about the engine is its cover - power output, etc is just the same.

[Aidan]

Can such a system be used for standard rail networks?

No, but it is technically possible to make trains that can go that fast on standard rail networks if track alignment and quality are of a similar quality.

What exactly does one mean by "standard" rail networks? Shanghai's maglev is based on the German based maglev technology, developed by Transrapid. The Japanese have also been developing maglev using a different method, but have run into issues as the magnetic fields interfere with other commonly carried objects like credit cards.

Why? Can't they just build the floor (and lower walls) out of antiferromagnetic materials?

And both the German and Japanese maglev technologies are technically inferior to the American Inductrack system.

What's even more frightening is that any old schmuck (a rich one, admittedly, although the current financial situation proves that rich old schmucks are surprisingly common) can purchase for themselves a Bugatti Veyron and blast across the countryside at the same 400km/h.

It'd have to be a very rich old schmuck - IIRC you could buy a house in any Adelaide suburb except Springfield for less than the cost of a Veyron! And it might be hard to find a road where you can drive one that fast without crashing.