Idea for electromagnetic hover car (maglev car)

[Vanstorm9]

Hey guys,

I am just a simple high school student in a one-year physics course who wants to improve his ability in applied science and using physics to create new things (my dream is to be an inventor)

I always had this idea of a Maglev (electromagnetic) hover car where it uses the messier effect and superconductivity for magnetic levitation and Faraday’s electromagnetic induction principal to generate electricity give it the ability to recharge its motor if it runs on newly built magnetic roads.

I am a high school junior, a first-year physics high school student, so I don’t know if my physics reasoning is good enough and if I am actually typing in wrong physics concepts on this page right now.

I personally thought it was a stupid idea at first, but ever since I saw the Volkswagen commercial, I thought that since people are actually trying to create this, it isn’t so stupid and is actually possible

http://www.technologicvehicles.com/en/actualite-mobilite-verte/1749/video-vw-peoples-car-project-voici-la-voiture

I may attempt to make a mini-model of the car, doing experiments for each concept to see if they will actually work and eventually start putting things together.

Main concepts

Electromagnetic suspension (Meissner effect)

By using a superconductor and using extremely low temperatures, it will allow electromagnetic suspension to be created and give the car the ability to levitate.

Possible experiement: Use liquid nitrogen to cool a superconductor/magnet and place it on a magnetic track and see how it levitates and move on the track, basically recreating this experiment:

Constantly recharged electrical motor (Faraday’s principle)

When an electrical wire that has electrical current flowing moves through a magnetic field, electricity is produced. Due to the fact that electricity can be produced by simply moving an electrical current through a magnetic field, I was dreaming of magnet tracks that produces a magnetic field where there will be the maglev car moving with electrical wires through the field that is connected to its electrical motor. That will allow it to give it constant energy as it recharging its engine when it moves, getting rid of the need for gasoline or energy sources.

Possible experiment: Attach an ampmeter to wires that will be hovered over the magnetic rails. See if current and electric power produced.

Then build a small component that would allow it to store in any generated electrical energy/charge.

Additional features (optional)

Repulsion collision safe (probably the one that will most likely not work)

There will be an electromagnetic magnet attached to the back of the car. A sensor will use the magnetic field to detect any incoming cars or any cars it is incoming into. If both of the cars get too close to each other (compared the distance with the speed of the two cars), the electromagnetic would both turn on (with the same charge) and release a really powerful electromagnetic field that would repel the two cars away. Due to the fact that the car is moving with either great acceleration or force, the magnetic field won’t really repel the cars but have them move at constant speed (same speed as each other) into equalibrium. Once under control, the drive can turn off the electromagnetic field.

Magnetic Car Detection

There will be a magnetic field from an electromanget that would have the car produce an electromagnetic field (or else just use radar/sonar) to detect incoming cars.

Any critique on this? Is this possible? Any advice in what I can do to make a small model of the maglev car (not the entire thing, just a small demo of it) or any correction to the concepts that I posted? Some of these may look ridiculous to you as I am only a high school physics student. However, I really want to interact with physics more and use these concepts to create something new and interesting, like this maglev electromagnetic hover car.

Edited May 23, 2013 by Vanstorm9

[EdEarl]

You have some good ideas, and should pursue them. I would recommend you start with simple experiments and compare all alternatives. For example, compare superconducting and non-superconducting solutions. It is important to consider both scientific and economic factors. Economic factors are influenced by the time they are introduced into the market, so you need to estimate when a product will be ready for market and what the market will be at that time. Technical solutions may be influenced by future advancements, too. Some future factors are impossible to predict, others are not.

 

Your first task is to become an expert on the scientific issues. How much time that will take depends on you, but it is easy to underestimate.

[Vanstorm9]

Alright, thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking of studying this topic even deeper to gain a better understanding of this. May consider studying more about the relationship between electricity and magnetism (right now, Faraday-Lenz Law)

[EdEarl]

Good luck. I expect you will need quite a bit of math. Check out https://www.khanacademy.org/.

[The Pragamatist]

As for actual mechanical advice I cannot help. I too am an aspiring inventor with much to learn, but with the ambition to succeed in learning it. I will say this though: As a fellow inventor I have done quite a bit of research on the big break throughs in the past. The one thing they all seem to have in common is that other folks prior to the devices creation said that it could not be done.

 

As scientists, engineers, hobbyists, and inventors it is our job to prove that it can be done. Do not listen to people who say that something is not possible. They are naysayers who are trying to reassure themselves of their own intellect, unaware that they risk doing the exact opposite should the person prove them wrong.

 

Keep up with what you are doing, that is my advice to you.

Edited June 18, 2013 by The Pragamatist