PORT ANGELES — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire rode above the rails of Magna Force’s LEVX magnetic-levitation system, then praised it Monday at the company’s 18th Street complex.
“Have you ridden it?,” Gregoire said enthusiastically after the short ride with her husband, Mike, and Magna Force founder Karl “Jerry” Lamb.
“It’s quiet. It’s smooth. He can really get rolling,” Gregoire said.
“The cost is right. The speed is right.
“This is the creativity we need for future transportation solutions. It’s very impressive.”
Gregoire visited the North Olympic Peninsula on a campaign swing Monday in her effort to defeat Republican Dino Rossi in the Nov. 2 election.
After the test ride, Gregoire and her campaign staff held a 30-minute private meeting with Lamb and his staff to discuss the LEVX technology and its applications.
Opposing magnets
The “mag-lev” system uses powerful opposing magnets.
The payload — in Monday’s case the Gregoires and Lamb — is levitated on a magnet-lined platform over a track of opposing magnets.
This leaves a gap of air between the two opposing surfaces — one you can place your hand through.
Once floating, several thousand pounds of payload can be accelerated and propelled using a battery- or propane-powered electric motor of less than 1 horsepower, said Lamb, the inventor.
The system demonstrated for Gregoire used a single track.
Lamb told the gubernatorial hopeful he is trying to deliver this monorail system as the company’s first commercial product.