4. Future of Energy: The Special Case of MAGLEV - European American Experiences

Rail is an obvious solution to the environmental problems presented by personal transportation systems (how we think of using motor vehicles). Rail systems are well developed in Europe for passenger service (80% of the load); the priority for rail in the US is for freight (80% of the load). 

Why?

·        Could Europe transition its legacy rail systems to make them more efficient? What would it take for the US to transition its rail systems to serve passengers more intensively and to upgrade its freight systems? 

·        There have been plenty of missed opportunities, but there are MAGLEV systems up and running quite successfully in Japan and China that use German technology. The economic case for MAGLEV is compelling.

This is a particularly fascinating topic, as solutions exist to a basic problem associated with the energy transition. To address the challenges requires understanding how the technology, the resource endowment of specific contexts, public policy (state decision making), and the market system all interact. 

Thanks for listening! Please be sure to check us out at www.eaccny.com or email membership@eaccny.com to learn more!