WATCH | Chinese researchers test a levitating car

Magnetic levitation (maglev) trains are not uncommon in China, but now the country is working on a car that floats 35mm above the road.

Chinese researchers at Southwest Jiaotong University tested cars fitted with magnets on a specially modified highway in Jiangsu, east China. A video of the test shows it gliding above the surface and researchers hope maglev cars could reduce energy consumption.

According to Xinhua media agency, the modified vehicle was tested on a roughly 8km stretch of highway and reached a top speed of 230km/h.

However, the car’s dramatic porpoising effect, as it rocks back and forth, shows there is still plenty of work to be done before such vehicles could be sold at your local dealership.