Is MRL always cheaper than traction because it has no machine room?

Dropping the machine room saves space, not necessarily money. An MRL gearless drive tends to suit buildings of roughly 6 to 8 floors and above, where the space saved starts to offset the drive’s own cost.

Why is our high-rise lift rated at 6.0 m/s when the low-rise one next door is 1.2 m/s?

Low-rise cars run 1.0 to 1.6 m/s and high-rise cars run 2.5 to 6.0 m/s. A 100 m rise at 2.5 m/s alone takes 40 seconds of pure travel, so a taller building needs the higher speed band to keep trip times reasonable.

Does drive type change how many cars we need?

No. The number of cars is set by peak traffic, usually 12 to 15% of the building’s population carried in a 5-minute window; drive type affects speed and shaft space, not the traffic calculation.

Srinidhi Elevators — Traction vs Hydraulic vs

Traction vs Hydraulic vs MRL Elevators by Building Height

A hydraulic drive stays common below about 4 to 6 floors, where its lower shaft cost offsets its lower speed. A machine-room-less (MRL) gearless drive suits roughly 6 to 8 floors and above, once the building is tall enough that the space saved by dropping the separate machine room starts to matter more than the drive’s higher unit cost.

Speed is the other half of the decision: low-rise cars run 1.0–1.6 m/s, high-rise cars run 2.5–6.0 m/s, and a 100 m rise at 2.5 m/s alone takes 40 seconds of pure travel before any stops. Picking a drive without checking the rise against these speed bands leaves either a car that is too slow for the building or a drive that is oversized for it.

Drive Type by Building Height
Item	Value	Unit	Note
Hydraulic drive	below 4–6	floors	Machine room needed, usually ground/basement
MRL gearless drive	6–8 and above	floors	No separate machine room
Low-rise car speed	1.0–1.6	m/s	Typical hydraulic / low-rise traction
High-rise car speed	2.5–6.0	m/s	Typical geared / gearless traction
100 m rise travel time	40	seconds at 2.5 m/s	Pure travel, before stops
Peak traffic sizing	12–15	% population / 5 min	Determines number of cars

Fig. 1 — Hydraulic drives fit below roughly 4–6 floors (solid bar, tapering to the upper bound); MRL gearless drives take over from roughly 6–8 floors upward (solid bar, extending past the chart’s right edge).

Procedure: choosing a drive type before you buy

Count the building’s floors and its total rise in metres from the lowest to the highest landing.
Check whether the building can spare space for a separate machine room; if not, a machine-room-less (MRL) gearless drive removes that requirement.
Match the required car speed to the rise: low-rise cars run 1.0–1.6 m/s, high-rise cars run 2.5–6.0 m/s; a 100 m rise at 2.5 m/s is 40 seconds of pure travel before stops.
Below about 4–6 floors, price a hydraulic drive against a traction drive; above about 6–8 floors, price an MRL gearless drive instead.
Size the number of cars from peak traffic at 12–15% of the building’s population per 5-minute window, not from floor count alone.

Questions before signing a drive contract

Can we install a hydraulic lift in a 10-floor building?: Hydraulic drives are common below about 4 to 6 floors; above that, a traction or MRL gearless drive is the usual choice, because hydraulic speed and shaft economics stop favouring taller rises.
Is MRL always cheaper than traction because it has no machine room?: Dropping the machine room saves space, not necessarily money. An MRL gearless drive tends to suit buildings of roughly 6 to 8 floors and above, where the space saved starts to offset the drive’s own cost.
Why is our high-rise lift rated at 6.0 m/s when the low-rise one next door is 1.2 m/s?: Low-rise cars run 1.0 to 1.6 m/s and high-rise cars run 2.5 to 6.0 m/s. A 100 m rise at 2.5 m/s alone takes 40 seconds of pure travel, so a taller building needs the higher speed band to keep trip times reasonable.
Does drive type change how many cars we need?: No. The number of cars is set by peak traffic, usually 12 to 15% of the building’s population carried in a 5-minute window; drive type affects speed and shaft space, not the traffic calculation.