To design the zero-power hybrid magnet with permanent magnets and electromagnets for EMS maglev vehicles, the structural parameters of its permanent magnets and electromagnets were researched on. The permanent magnet was located at the middle of the yoke, which made its sectional area independent from the area of the pole. The restriction between the thickness and the area of the permanent magnet was presented, and the method of designing the permanent magnet with minimum mass was given. According to the requirements of the maximum balance ampere-turn, it was concluded that the ampere-turn of the hybrid magnet can be reduced to half of that of the pure electromagnet. It was shown that the controllability of the hybrid magnet is always weaker than that of the pure electromagnet, and then a revision of the design for the permanent magnet was proposed based on the requirement of the controllability. Finally, a design example of the hybrid magnet was presented with 1 t load suspending at 8 mm, and the mass of the permanent magnet was only 6.4 kg.