To get up to top speed, bullet trains have to pull a huge amount of electrical current from the grid. typically through unsightly overhead power lines. But this newly debuted train prototype from South Korea sucks up electricity invisibly from the tracks below.
Developed through a collaboration of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and The Korea Railroad Research Institute, this bullet train is the first rail vehicle utilize wireless power transmission…
And though it only topped out at a pokey 4 km/h (that’s about 2.5 mph, slower than most folks walk) along a 492-foot long track in Uiwang, Gyeonggi last Tuesday, the prototype train could one day hit speeds of 400 km/h (250 mph). Researchers also estimate that such a system could reduce maintenance costs by more than half by eliminating the tangled web of existing overhead power lines.
via Gizmodo
Image: JoongAng Daily
