Investing in Transporation Technology: Coming Wonders in Transportation

Feb 7th, 2006 | By Byron King | Category: Energy, Investing Strategies, Technology

Jonathan Kolber discusses Transportation Technology: maglev trains and flying cars.

[From the desk of Gunner: Today, we link up yet again to the futuristic mind of Jonathan Kolber. Jonathan is always tuned in to the latest technology -- last week, we heard about the wonders of a planned underwater hotel and what this modern-day Atlantis could do to help solve the world’s energy problems.

In this week’s column, Jonathan will tell you how a California company, GPS and magnetic tubes will change your morning commute forever. Enjoy...]

***Coming Wonders in Transportation***

Ever get frustrated sitting in rush-hour traffic? I know I do…and my annoyance is increased by knowledge of how needless it is. Today I want to share with you an overview of some amazing transportation technologies that are on the horizon.

I like well-designed mass transit, and therefore I’m an admirer of the magnetic levitation (maglev) trains used in Japan, Germany and France. These trains move at speeds of up to 310 mph by literally rising off the ground and floating on a magnetic field. This technology is still becoming more widely deployed, and I predict a massive new push for its adoption if airport procedures continue to make flying an ordeal. Nevertheless, maglev train technology will not surpass airplanes for speed of long-distance travel. That requires an even more advanced application…

Maglev TUBES. Originally expounded for popular audiences in Dr. Gerard O’Neill’s visionary book 2081: A Hopeful View of the Human Future, these tubes take the engineering principles behind maglev trains to their logical conclusion.

Investing in Transportation Technology: Creating a Magnetic Field

You see, the trains use electromagnetism to create an intense magnetic field separating the moving train from the track (really, a guide rail). The electromagnets serve two purposes: separating the moving body from the container/guide rail and propulsion. In the case of the tube, the container will be — well, a tube — many miles long. In fact, such a tube could extend from New York to L.A.

To minimize wind resistance, the tube would be depressurized to approximately a vacuum. Inside the tube, a car or set of cars (without wheels) would be magnetically levitated so it doesn’t touch the tube’s walls. How? A ring or set of rings of electromagnets would equally repel the car from all sides. In the “New York-L.A. Express,” there would be a series of such magnetic rings extending inside the tube all the way from coast to coast.

Passengers and cargo would load up and then rings a little down the path would charge, magnetically attracting the car. As the rings keep drawing the car forward, slowly at first, then ever faster, it would accelerate. Passengers would experience this as a very gradual acceleration for the first half of the journey. At the halfway point, they may well be traveling at 3,000 mph, at which point the magnets would start reversing — magnets just behind the car would turn on, slowing the car. (Much of the energy used to accelerate could be recaptured and used again, making this a very efficient means of transportation.)

The entire journey would take just a few hours. Make no mistake, this technology represents billions of dollars in infrastructure, but there’s no technological obstacle whatsoever to doing it. It’s just a matter of vision and commitment.

Oh, and despite the vast speeds, it would be safe. First, the tubes would be very straight, so even if a series of rings failed, others could take their place. Multiple power plants would provide the electricity used in a single tube. Second, the braking mechanism could be supplemented by emergency sustained-burn rockets and other devices as fail-safes. Third, depressurization anywhere in the tube would cause emergency shutdown.

Makes the Britain-France Channel Tunnel (the “Chunnel”) seem so 20th century.

Investing in Transportation Technology: Flying cars

We’re also looking at flying cars within a decade or so. NASA is working on this. However, a small private company headed by a determined aerospace engineer is leading the pack. Dr. Paul Moller, head of Moller Intl., in Davis, Calif., has been working on this for a quarter century. The M400 is a flying car that’s already been prototyped and built. Think of the Jetsons’ car and you’re pretty close. The Moller is 19.5 feet long and comfortably carries four passengers. It gets about 20 miles per gallon on ethanol and cruises at 275 mph.

It uses eight computer-controlled turbofans. In the event of failure, it can do an emergency landing on three of them. In addition to flying like a plane, the Moller can do vertical takeoffs and landings, so it doesn’t need an airfield. Anywhere you can park an RV should be fine.

The catch? The Moller currently sells for about $500,000-995,000. Each is custom made. But hey, the first automobiles cost astronomical sums in early 20th century dollars. It wasn’t until Ford instituted mass production that costs plunged. Moller is getting close to this with his Skycar. (In Clive Cussler’s book Atlantis Found, you will find both a great read and a fascinating description of what it will be like to fly in a Moller.)

A big concern is safety. If people can’t control their vehicles on the ground, what will happen when we add up and down? One solution being seriously considered is to make the Mollers automatically piloted, slaved to global positioning (GPS) satellites. These devices — now so cheap that you can buy one for your PDA to run in your car that announces each and every turn you need to make to reach your destination — are reliable to within 3 feet. A little-known fact is that GPS devices already pilot planes. In fact, there’s a good chance that on your next commercial flight the plane you’re flying will be “piloted” part of the journey by computers tied to GPS, though — don’t worry — always watched by the air traffic control towers.

And just think of the benefits. By adding height, no more traffic jams. No more need to live near the city to work in the city. Real estate prices for country properties would rise relative to city properties as people discovered they could commute 100 miles or more effortlessly. (How? Get in your Moller and say, “Take me to work.” It already knows the address, much as your cell phone remembers the telephone number when you tell it to, “Dial Susie.” It responds: “I’m taking you to work. Scenic or fastest route?” Then you answer and forget about the driving until it deposits you in the parking lot.)

I predict: flying cars, for less than $80,000, by 2015. See you in the skies!

To your profitable future,

Jonathan Kolber
February 7, 2006

Byron King

Prior to joining Penny Sleuth, Byron received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, was a cum laude graduate of Harvard University, served on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations and as a field historian with the Navy. Our resident energy and oil expert, Byron is the editor of Outstanding Investments and Energy and Scarcity Investor.

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