Donald M. Rote
International Journal of Railway, vol. 5, no. 3, pp.117-123, 2012

Abstract : According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, combustion of petroleum-based and other fossil fuels results in the increasing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG’s) and is a major contributing factor to global warming. This paper includes estimates of the energy and petroleum use and the GHG emissions caused by the transportation sector. It then examines the extent to which diversions to alternative modes may be possible. Estimates are made of the potential reductions in energy and petroleum use and GHG emissions resulting from diversions from conventional modes, to both low-speed urban and high-speed intercity maglev vehicle trips based on “well-to-wheel” (i.e. total-fuel-cycle) calculations.

Keyword : Maglev, GHG