Harnessing the Future of Sustainable Transportation: A Call for Action on Hyperloop

As Europe confronts the challenges of climate change and the need for sustainable development, innovative transport solutions must take center stage. Among these, the Hyperloop presents a unique opportunity to revolutionize European mobility, offering faster, cleaner, and more efficient travel for both passengers and goods. Even the position paper "The future of European competitiveness - A competitiveness strategy for Europe" by Draghi points at hyperloop (page 207 of the "In-depth analysis and recommendations") for sustainability, efficiency and cost-savings.

Hyperloop technology holds the potential to drastically reduce carbon emissions, relieve congested roads, and minimize dependency on short-haul flights across Europe. With the European Green Deal goals in mind, Hyperloop’s energy-efficient magnetic levitation technology could drastically reduce our carbon footprint while improving connectivity across borders.

While significant progress has been made, Europe risks falling behind competitors like China, where the CASIC/T-Flight and SWJTU projects have gained strong momentum through substantial government investment and robust public-private partnerships. Without similar commitment and funding, Europe may find itself trailing in the global race for Hyperloop leadership.

What We Need from Europe’s Leadership: To ensure Europe becomes a global leader in Hyperloop development, we must take decisive action. I call upon the European Commission and Parliament to consider the following:

1. Policy Integration: Hyperloop must be fully integrated into European transport policies, particularly within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) framework. Clear legislative support is needed, as demonstrated by the inclusion of Hyperloop in Article 44 of the TEN-T regulation, but we need accelerated progress in 2024 to develop a solid regulatory framework that promotes interoperability and a standardized European Hyperloop network.
2. Regulatory Framework: Fast-tracking the proposed EU regulatory framework for Hyperloop, expected in 2024, is critical. We need harmonized standards and certification processes to allow for cross-border infrastructure projects and technology convergence across Europe’s key developers like Zeleros, Hardt, and the HyperTransfer consortium in Italy, including WeBuild, Leonardo, and HyperloopTT.
3. Public Funding: A large-scale, European Hyperloop test track (5-10km) is essential to accelerate technological development and attract private investment. An investment of approximately €200 million could position Europe at the forefront of Hyperloop innovation. The EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), national governments, and local stakeholders should pool resources to make this happen.
4. Strategic Alliances: Strengthen public-private partnerships and include Hyperloop development in strategic initiatives like the Net-Zero Industry Act. Hyperloop is more than just transport; it is a catalyst for European reindustrialization, linking industrial hubs and fostering regional economic development.
5. Global Competition: Europe must recognize the growing competition from China. Both CASIC’s T-Flight and SWJTU have received massive government backing, illustrating how state-driven initiatives can fast-track technological advances. Europe needs to match or exceed this level of support to avoid losing its competitive edge in the mobility sector.

Hyperloop’s ability to connect regions, reduce emissions, and support Europe’s climate goals cannot be overstated. The future Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, must champion this cause, pushing for robust policies and adequate funding to ensure Europe leads this transport revolution. It is now or never!

So to finalize, let me focus your view to Italy:

In Veneto region, the Italian HyperTransfer project is nearing the end of its Phase I, in which very detailed results regarding the feasibility of a hyperloop project in Europe have been elaborated. The consortium works under the leadership of construction giant WeBuild and with participation of the aerospace giant Leonardo, and involves the companies Hyperloop Italia, HyperloopTT and RINA, as well as a number of renowned universities and major suppliers for different technical systems. The official decision to continue into the detailed design and thereafter construction and testing of a full-size hyperloop testtrack of 10 km length is expected in the next months. This Public-Private-Innovation initiative has all that it takes to be the ideal driver for a joint, European hyperloop technology, a project that can guide the urgently required technology alignment, allows to perform high-speed performance and efficiency testing and ultimately will lead to technology optimization.

Together, by joining forces between all European players, we can make Hyperloop a reality and shape a cleaner, more connected Europe for future generations.

#sustainablemobility #Hyperloop #climatechange #EUtransport #innovation #greenfuture