American Maglev Technology (AMT), sometimes referred to as just American Maglev, is an American company founded in 1994[1] focused on creating maglev systems for public transit based in Amelia Island, Florida[2][3] with former locations in Mariette, Georgia,[4][5] and in Volusia County, Florida.[6] It is led by CEO, Tony Morris and vice president Jordan Morris.[7] The company has a working maglev test track located in Powder Springs, Georgia[8] and formerly had one in Volusia County, Florida before moving locations.[6] The company has invested more than $50 million into its research and development projects.[9]
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry |
|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Tony Morris and Kent R. Davey, Ph.D |
| Headquarters | Florida |
Key people | Tony Morris, Jordan Morris |
| Website | http://american-maglev.com/ |
History
editAmerican Maglev Technology was founded in 1994. In the mid 1990s, they had a location and test track in Volusia County, Florida that they later abandoned around 2002.[6][4] Before building the Old Dominion University maglev in 2001, they previously pitched the idea of a maglev system to Virginia Tech and Virginia Beach but later settled on Old Dominion University (ODU) due to the short length of the track required.[10] After failing to get the ODU maglev operational, they departed the project sometime around 2003. The company built their test track at Powder Springs, Georgia in 2006.[8] AMT was reportedly trying to land contracts in Pakistan around 2007.[6] In 2012, AMT pitched a maglev route to connect key destinations in Orlando, Florida.[11] They also pitched a similar route connecting destinations to Port Canaveral, Florida in 2015.[9] The company's business license was revoked by Georgia in 2019.[10] In 2021, it was announced that they had moved to Florida and were working on developing novel cooling solutions for United States military aircraft together with another company named CFoam.[3][2]
Proposed Maglev Systems
editThis is a list of all the maglev lines that were proposed by the company but ended up not being built.
- Orlando International Airport to Orange County Convention Center in Florida[12][13]
- Port Canaveral to Port Cove Retail Area in Florida[9]
- Georgia State Station to Turner Field in Georgia[8]
- Cobb County to Perimeter Mall in Georgia[8]
- Virginia Beach, Virginia[10]
- Virginia Tech[10]
Criticism
editAmerican Maglev Technology has faced criticism for its failure to get the maglev system at ODU operational. Concerns were raised towards using up a budget of $16 million,[14] $7 million of that being a loan from the state of Virginia that went unpaid.[4] AMT also faced criticism for closing its test track in Florida, resulting in the loss of jobs there,[6] and for failing to pay contractors for work on the ODU maglev in 2002, resulting in lawsuits that were eventually settled.[15]
References
edit- ^ "History". AMT, Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b Morris, Jordan (2021-07-28). "American Maglev Technology Awarded Phase II Navy Contract to Develop Passively Cooled Jet Blast Deflector (JBD)" (PDF). AMT, Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b Nicholas, Lorna (2021-08-01). "CFoam and American Maglev Technology of Florida expand development of novel cooling solution for US aircrafts [sic]". Small Caps. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c Vogel, Mike (2015-05-27). "Still hovering: Tony Morris pushes 'maglev' trains". Florida Trend. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "A Solution for Mass Transit? Georgia Made! [AUDIO/VIDEO]". Georgia Public Broadcasting. 2013-09-22. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c d e Messina, Debbie (2007-04-11). "Doesn't run in Fla. Stalled at ODU. Now maglev maven is in Georgia". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Team". AMT, Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c d Ruch, John (2016-01-08). "'Maglev' train was once an idea for Perimeter Center". Rough Draft Atlanta. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c Berman, Dave (2015-06-22). "American Maglev considers Port Canaveral train project". Florida Today. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c d Witt, Will (2022-11-15). "Twenty One Years Later, the Ghost of ODU's Monorail Remains". Mace & Crown. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Davies, Alex (2012-12-19). "Here's How Florida Could Build A Floating Train That Is Actually Profitable". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Dukes, Amanda (2014-05-21). "FDOT approves plan for magnetic train in Orlando". WESH. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Richardson, Matthew (2014-06-13). "On track: American Maglev reveals details on 6 proposed Orlando stations". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Patton, Zach (2018-12-21). "Behind the Lens: A $16 Million Flop". Governing. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "ODU's stop-and-start maglev project back on track". Suffolk News-Herald. Vol. 75, no. 94. 2004-04-18. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-01-14.