![]() ![]() This means that superconducting wires have no energy loss. Kaku explains this is because electrons moving through a wire lose energy as they collide with atoms. Mercury, when cooled to four degrees Kelvin above absolute zero, loses all electrical resistance. What are Room Temperature Superconductors? They will allow the creation of enormous magnetic fields cheaply. The solution to unleash a magnetic revolution lies in the discovery of new materials called room temperature superconductors. Unfortunately, the economics of maglev trains has prevented them from deploying at scale. Several nations, including Germany, Japan, and China, have produced magnetic levitating trains – called maglev – that hover above a set of rails containing magnets. You simply blow on the vehicle, and it begins to move using almost no fuel. Imagine instead, supermagnets capable of lifting cars and trains so they float above the ground. Kaku reminds us that most of the gasoline we use in our cars goes to overcoming friction – the friction of the wheels on the road and the friction of the air. I learned this from reading renowned theoretical physicist Michio Kaku’s book, Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100. But as the electrification and decarbonization of the transportation sector takes hold, the future may see a shift from the age of electricity to the age of magnetism. Electric cars and their supporting charging infrastructure are taking off.
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