New Mitsubishi Elevator Will Hit 60 Km per Hour

The Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi has just announced a new range of technologies which results in ultra-high-speed elevators that are capable of traveling faster than 1,000 meters per minute – and we are looking at a top speed of 60 kph. This is commendable, especially when the Burj Khalifa’s Observatory elevators, being double deck cabs, travel at 10 metres per second, which translates to 36kph. Of course, Mitsubishi is also the company behind the elevators installed in the 632-meter Shanghai Tower in China.


The technologies will be incorporated in the world's fastest elevators, including those developed by Mitsubishi Electric for the 632-meter Shanghai Tower under construction in Shanghai, China (pictured above).

In response to the increasing height of high-rise buildings amid continuing urban population growth, the role of elevators is gaining even greater importance. In response, Mitsubishi Electric is developing advanced solutions incorporating technologies and equipment for enhanced drive and controllability, safety, super high-rise cable mechanics and passenger comfort. The company's new suite of ultra-high-speed elevator technologies includes the following advancements:

• a single motor with two grouped three-phase winding coils and parallel drive systems that feature a built-in converter to regenerate electricity and cut power consumption by over 30 percent
• hydraulic driven clamp-type disk brakes
• lighter traveling cables enabled by encasing a wider diameter steel core in a lightweight sheath material
• a new active roller guide to reduce vibration from the guide rails and wind at ultra-high speeds
• streamlined aerodynamic car cover with a sound insulating cage.
• safety gear shoes constructed from fine ceramic to provide high resistance to heat, abrasion and shock and provide stability even if high frictional heat when the safety gear is activated
• air pressure control to minimize rapid changes in atmospheric pressure

Mitsubishi

PDF of the press release