AMR Future Brief| Hyperloop Expansion: Recent Developments in “Elon Musk’s Fifth Mode of Transport"

In 2013, Elon Musk presented a white paper in which he proposed a new mode of high-speed transportation viz., Hyperloop. The “fifth mode of transport” as he called it, Musk’s white paper said that the hypothetical Hyperloop would have five characteristic features. The first important feature is that the Hyperloop would travel at extremely high speeds; secondly, the design of the route would be made in such a way that the risk of collision would be nearly zero. Thirdly, the power consumption of the entire system would be minimal; also, an energy storage system would be incorporated into the Hyperloop which would allow it to function for at least 24 hours without any external charging. Finally, the entire system would function independently of the local weather and climatic conditions.?

Though Elon Musk published this paper himself, he kept the initiative open for participation. Thus, engineers and researchers who thought they could contribute to this idea could easily join this project. Over the years, several private companies invested in this project and roped in experts in hypersonic technology to develop initial designs.?

Analyzing the progress of the highly promising HyperloopTT projects across the globe?

The white paper published by Elon Musk conceptualized Hyperloop as a transportation system that would use specialized pods or capsules that would pass through a partially evacuated tube using magnetic levitation principles. The paper proposed that in an ideal scenario, the capsule, which would be used to transport people, would attain speeds of up to 700 miles per hour. Thus, Elon Musk proposed hyperloop technology as a substitute for high-speed rail and air transportation.?

In November 2013, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a California-based research company, was formed to materialize the concept of Hyperloop, as per the initial design concept prepared by HyperloopTT, the tube train was to act as an intercity urban transport system with a yearly capacity of 15 million passengers. Consequently, HyperloopTT has been involved in the development of prototypes for four different projects. In 2018, the company signed an agreement with the Abu Dhabi municipal body to develop an Hyperloop transport system between the cities of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.?

Similarly, in February 2018, HyperloopTT signed a partnership agreement with the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) to develop the US’ first interstate hyperloop technology-powered transport system. The feasibility study conducted by HyperloopTT as part of this project is the most comprehensive study of hyperloop technology to date. In 2018, the company also signed an agreement to develop a hyperloop system for the Port of Hamburg, Germany.?

Hardt Hyperloop: Integrating environmental sustainability in hyperloop technology??

Hardt Hyperloop, a Dutch hyperloop company, conducted a study recently that showed that hyperloop technology is one of the least polluting modes of urban transportation. Furthermore, several engineering institutes are conducting feasibility tests to check whether renewable energy sources can help in the operation of this transportation system. The initial tests conducted by Hardt Hyperloop have been hugely successful which is why they have been able to sign partnership agreements with different companies and entities.?

For instance, in April 2023, Hardt Hyperloop signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TuTr Hyperloop, a leading hyperloop technology company based in India. TuTr Hyperloop, in the past few years, has made significant breakthroughs in materializing the concept of Hyperloop. Aravind Bharadwaj, co-founder and CTO of TuTr Hyperloop said the Memorandum of Understanding would help both companies to share their expertise and develop common standards for interoperable hyperloop systems.?

Similarly, in October 2023, Hardt Hyperloop also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zeleros, another hyperloop technology company. Under this, both companies put forth a joint development action plan that envisions the commercial and technical development of hyperloop technology in both the Netherlands and Spain. The collaboration will help both companies to pool their resources to achieve their common goal in a time-bound manner.?

To sum it up, since the publication of Elon Musk’s white paper on Hyperloop in 2013, the curiosity concerning this intercity urban transportation system has increased. Various researchers, engineers, and mobility experts have joined hands to develop hyperloop systems and have even signed agreements with their peers to achieve this goal. Though a fully working hyperloop system is yet to be built, recent developments have shown that the materialization of the concept of the hyperloop might just be around the corner.?

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? **?????????????? ????????????: Akhilesh Prabhugaonkar?