GOING LOOPY
HYPERLOOPThere’s been a lot of hype, but this sleek capsule
built by California-based Hyperloop
Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT)
shows that super-fast hyperloop travel is on its
way, promising speeds of up to 1,223km/h
(760mph) for city-to-city travel – faster than a
commercial jet.
The full-scale, 30m capsule is being prepared
for testing at HyperloopTT’s 320m test track in
Toulouse, France. If all goes well, the first
passenger trials will take place next year, with
the aim of having the first commercial system up
and running by 2022, probably in Abu Dhabi.
Hyperloop capsules will reach their high
speeds by gliding through sealed tubes fromwhich most of the air has been removed by
vacuum pumps, reducing drag. The capsules are
levitated just above the track using magnets,
reducing friction, and powered by a ‘linear
induction motor’ that also uses magnetic forces.
The Hyperloop has been hailed as the first new
mode of transportation in over 100 years, but
there are still significant technological
challenges to overcome, such as the complexity of
maintaining the vacuum in the tubes over such
long distances. Nevertheless, plenty of
engineering brainpower is being invested, and
companies including Virgin Hyperloop One,
Hardt Hyperloop and TransPod are all working
on their own systems.GOING LOOPY
HYPERLOOP
There’s been a lot of hype, but this sleek capsule
built by California-based Hyperloop
Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT)
shows that super-fast hyperloop travel is on its
way, promising speeds of up to 1,223km/h
(760mph) for city-to-city travel – faster than a
commercial jet.
The full-scale, 30m capsule is being prepared
for testing at HyperloopTT’s 320m test track in
Toulouse, France. If all goes well, the first
passenger trials will take place next year, with
the aim of having the first commercial system up
and running by 2022, probably in Abu Dhabi.
Hyperloop capsules will reach their high
speeds by gliding through sealed tubes from
which most of the air has been removed by
vacuum pumps, reducing drag. The capsules are
levitated just above the track using magnets,
reducing friction, and powered by a ‘linear
induction motor’ that also uses magnetic forces.
The Hyperloop has been hailed as the first new
mode of transportation in over 100 years, but
there are still significant technological
challenges to overcome, such as the complexity of
maintaining the vacuum in the tubes over such
long distances. Nevertheless, plenty of
engineering brainpower is being invested, and
companies including Virgin Hyperloop One,
Hardt Hyperloop and TransPod are all working
on their own systems.