by Brianna Crandall — December 27, 2013—Global electrical and electronic equipment provider Mitsubishi Electric Corporation recently announced it will deliver 85 elevators and escalators, including two elevators capable of climbing 600 meters per minute, to the Wuhan Center, a super-high-rise commercial complex under construction in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
When completed in 2016, the Wuhan Center will rise 438 meters, with 88 floors above ground. The building, which is being constructed by Oceanwide Real Estate Group Co., will accommodate a Hyatt Regency hotel, offices and residential facilities. Mitsubishi Electric expects to begin deliveries in October 2014.
The two Mitsubishi Electric elevators capable of traveling at 600 meters per minute are engineered to shuttle passengers nonstop for the 401-meter trip from the ground level floor to the 86th and then 87th floors in about 54 seconds. Streamlined air-rectification covers will ensure fast yet exceptionally comfortable rides, says the company.
Highly efficient permanent magnetic motors will be used in the traction machines of all 66 elevators. Fifty of the elevators will be medium- to high-speed units that travel at 120 meters per minute or faster. For extra efficiency, systems will capture energy generated during operation for reconversion into electricity.
The elevators and escalators will be manufactured in Japan by Mitsubishi Electric’s Inazawa Works and in China by its joint-venture companies Shanghai Mitsubishi Elevator/Escalator Limited Liability Company and Mitsubishi Electric Shanghai Electric Elevator Co., Ltd. Mitsubishi Electric and its two joint venture companies have delivered more than 400,000 elevators and escalators for the steadily growing market in China to date.
