The ML100 (Magnetic Levitation) is an experimental maglev car that was used as an exhibit vehicle. Built in 1972, the vehicle was used by JNR to introduce maglev technology to the public.
History[]
The ML100 was used on October 14, 1972 to introduce maglev technology to the public. It ran on a 480 meter (0.3 mi) long track, where it succeeded in traveling at a speed of 60 km/h (37 mph). After its exhibition, the car was stored in the Railway Technical Research Institute Center, where it remains today; the car is sometimes exhibited to the public on certain days. A replica of the ML100 was exhibited at the Osaka Transportation Museum in 1981 until its closure in 2014.
Specifications[]
The car is 7 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and 2.2 meters high. The car can seat four people, and they would enter and exit through a gullwing door on the side. The car uses a linear induction motor as propulsion.