This giant magnet can lift aircraft carriers and could power the future of energy

It may turn out to be one of the most consequential road trips of all time.

This week, key components for one of the world’s most powerful magnets, so strong it can lift an aircraft carrier 2 metres off the ground, were strapped onto a 24-axle truck in California.

The gear is eventually bound for France, where a 35-nation international coalition called ITER is hoping to pioneer nuclear fusion-generated power on the largest scale ever, a key step in the development of an abundant and zero-emissions energy source.