The news that Hitachi is going to install a super fast life begs the question of how fast we really want these things to travel at.
The new lift is going to be fitted in a skyscraper in Guangzhou in China. It is going to be capable of flying between floors at a hair raising speed of 45 mph. It would take only 43 seconds for it to zoom from the first floor all the way up to the 85th floor of the Guangzhou CTF Financial Centre, where is will be installed in 2016. The building will have 95 elevators in all, with 2 of them being these incredibly quick ones.
The Current Fastest in the World in Taiwan
This speed would make it the fastest lift in the world. In case you didn’t know, the current fastest lift on the planet is in Taiwan. The Taipei101 building has an elevator that can go at a speed of up to around 37 mph.
What would it be like to ride in such a lightning fast lift? The people at Hitachi have said that even at top speed it will offer a “comfortable ride”. The biggest issue in the design of high speed lifts like this is the issue of ear pain or blocked ears. Hitachi will get around this by modifying the air pressure inside the cabin. The device will also have brakes that can cope with extreme heat and guiding rollers that can keep the ride smooth even when wind pressure is taken into account.
Would you be happy travelling in a lift that goes so blooming fast?
image courtesy of BBC
