MAGNETIC LEVITATION MADE SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE: A REVOLUTIONARY VIEW ON THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION
Welcome to the future of passenger and goods transport: our levitation tests on existing tracks create a new way of thinking about magnetic levitation.
Accessible, scalable, sustainable.
Magnetic levitation is not a new thing: while the ground transportation industry is moving towards high performance and high efficiency systems, new levitation systems were born in the recent past in order to meet these requirements.
The principle is to create a cushion of air that physically separates the vehicle from the track, with strong advantages in terms of friction, efficiency, noise and vibrations.
The problem is that the current solutions are too technically complex and too expensive to be adopted on a mass scale. This explains their extremely limited adoption in the last 40 years, with scarce commercial success where they have been implemented.
IronLev is designed to overcome these limitations.
See how IronLev TECHNOLOGY works
Our patented solution is based on simple ferromagnetic material properties.
This means that it can work on any iron rail, without requiring ad-hoc infrastructures to be built.
It is also passive in its nature, based on a special configuration of permanent magnets. Thus IronLev allows objects to levitate without the need for external electrical power.
Goodbye friction
Ironlev, friction is not dependent on speed. This game-changing feature brings an high versatility of use: our levitation solution is suitable both for revamping current urban transportation systems and for enabling new ones. It works perfectly for a metropolitan trolley as well as for a Hyperloop Pod.
Safety meets control
The possibility to implement a Dynamic Active Control constantly ensures a proper levitation. A perfect central alignment between the vehicle and the track is maintained by detecting and reacting to even the smallest track imperfection. This guarantees high safety levels and top comfort for the passengers.
Static levitation
The system bears the object's weight at zero speed, without the need for any low speed system. Vehicles are continuously floating and always ready to be moved with the touch of a finger. This drastically improves systemic efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Affordable green revolution
The Ironlev solution is extremely cost-effective, both in terms of fixed or variable costs.
While traditional transportation systems require the deployment of dedicated guideways, Ironlev allows existing tracks to be repurposed. And while over 60% of the operations budget for a traditional maglev train is spent in energy to electrify the whole active track (see here), with the Ironlev technology, vehicles are coupled with passive ferromagnetic rails that do not require electrification to provide levitation.
OUR RAILWAY TEST
We are proud to announce the successful achievement of the world's first magnetic levitation test on an existing route. In cooperation with the Veneto Region, we were able to successfully test the Ironlev technology on the Adria-Mestre route.
The test demonstrated, for the first time ever, the possibility of applying magnetic levitation on rails of railway lines already in use, with significant advantages in terms of efficiency, as well as noise and vibration reduction thanks to the absence of friction, confirmed by the measurements taken.
In particular, during the test, the prototype vehicle weighing 1 ton successfully traversed the reference track at a self-limited speed of 70 km/h, without the need to make any modifications to the 2-km-long test track or to supplement it with additional elements. Thanks to this technology, which is why it is technically called 'passive ferromagnetic levitation', the magnetic skids actually suspend the vehicle by interacting directly with the conventional railway tracks.
Noise and vibration reduction
The absence of rolling noise and vibration makes Ironlev the ideal solution for urban transport applications urban areas, making it possible to enhance the urban surrounding areas.
Reducing maintenance costs
The absence of friction and component abrasion makes it possible to drastically reduce maintenance costs for both the vehicle and the infrastructure.
Perfect compatibility with existing infrastructure
Thanks to Ironlev's Italian levitation technology, the magnetic skids suspend the vehicle by interacting directly with traditional railway rails.
High energy efficiency
Even at high speeds, system friction is extremely low, representing the best solution for rail transport systems.
Next Step
The next objectives include the development of an additional motorised trolley to arrive at a test of a complete vehicle, weighing up to 20 tonnes and with speeds of up to 200 km/h.
First commercial applications
The first commercial applications will be people-mover transport systems for sustainable and low-noise mobility solutions in urban environment.
