{"id":426796,"date":"2023-03-04T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-04T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=426796"},"modified":"2023-03-04T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-04T11:00:00","slug":"hyperloop-the-train-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/hyperloop-the-train-of-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyperloop: the train of the future. Or not?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Londoners call their metro system the Tube. That\u2019s what most underground transport lines look like in most of the world: cavities where trains pass by with a high frequency. What about improving this concept and using a vacuum to move trains? That is in short what Hyperloop is about. It is still far in the future. And there are reasonable doubts. But engineers all over the world are working hard to make this idea a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s Hyperloop?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To put it in simple words, it\u2019s a train in a tube. It works by removing the two factors slowing down vehicles: air and friction. A Hyperloop system consists of two main elements: the tubes and the vehicles. The tubes are almost vacuumed. The pods are the pressurized vehicles running inside the tubes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"HELIOS II - The newest design of Delft Hyperloop\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ygssBmwy1tk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The hyperloop Dutch students from the TU Delft designed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"io-block io-block__expanded-box\"><summary class=\"expanded-box__header\">The European Hyperloop Week <\/summary><div>  <p class=\"expanded-box__content\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/hyperloopweek.com\">European Hyperloop Week<\/a> in June 2023 is an annual international event dedicated to the \u2018transport of the future\u2019, the Hyperloop. This event enables university students, guest speakers, companies and hyperloop enthusiasts to discuss the technology, feasibility and scalability of the Hyperloop.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is removing air important?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Removing air from the tubes allows for reducing drag. Drag is a mechanical force opposing the movement of a solid body \u2013 such as a car, a train, or an airplane. It is generated by the difference in speed between the object and the fluid \u2013 air in this case. Sucking the air out of the tube allows for replicating the physics conditions of being at sixty kilometers of altitude. This means that \u2013 as airplanes do \u2013 less energy is needed to keep speed since there is less resistance. This can result in more speed \u2013 over 1000 kilometers per hour &#8211; with less power, so getting you from A to B in way less time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What about the friction with tracks?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To remove friction from the railway, pods have to hover above the track. How to do that? Most of the Hyperloop concepts are relying on passive magnetic levitation, a concept already in place in Japan&#8217;s high-speed trains. The idea is to use permanent magnets on the vehicle. As they move over conductive arrays on the track, they establish a magnetic field able to push the pod up without any current. Pods are floating in the air, a bit like Aladdin\u2019s magic carpet.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"vlp-link-container vlp-layout-basic wp-block-visual-link-preview-link advgb-dyn-677c7a7e\"><a href=\"http:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/en\/selected\/students-from-delft-want-to-become-world-champion-hyperloop\/\" class=\"vlp-link\" title=\"Students from Delft want to become world champion hyperloop - Innovation Origins\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-side\"><div class=\"vlp-block-2 vlp-link-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Helios-II-track.jpg\" style=\"max-width: 150px; max-height: 150px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-main\"><div class=\"vlp-block-0 vlp-link-title\">Students from Delft want to become world champion hyperloop &#8211; Innovation Origins<\/div><div class=\"vlp-block-1 vlp-link-summary\">Students from Delft have build a hyperloop with new innovations to further develop the future of hyperloop transport.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s the difference between a train wagon and a pod?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Similar to wagons, pods also travel in convoys. While in trains wagons connect to each other, Hyperloop\u2019s pods can travel to different destinations. Comparably to when driving on a highway, each one of them can exit the road and switch directions. They can join or leave convoys depending on the direction they\u2019re heading to. Another difference with trains as we know them is that &#8211; since pods travel inside a tube &#8211; Hyperloop is not affected by the weather.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can we power Hyperloop systems?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hyperloop transport systems are fully electric. In addition to the engines, a set of magnets is used for giving pods a push every kilometer. Having nearly no air resistance and friction means no need for a constant propulsion system. Therefore, less energy is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.ioplus.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/crop-XP-2-FirstPassengers-JoshSara-10-1004x628.jpg\" alt=\"hyperloop\" class=\"wp-image-426810\" width=\"657\" height=\"411\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Two passengers inside the Virgin Hyperloop pod &#8211; \u00a9 Virgin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who had the idea?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Vacuum transit systems are not new. Back in the middle of the 19th century,&nbsp; Isambard Kingdom Brunel \u2013 a British engineer \u2013 designed what he called an atmospheric railway. Brunel\u2019s South Devon Railway only lasted less than a year, because of its costs and the lack of materials to sustain it \u2013 too pioneering for his times. The concept got back in fashion as Elon Musk \u2013 back in 2013 \u2013 published a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesla.com\/sites\/default\/files\/blog_images\/hyperloop-alpha.pdf\">white paper<\/a> sketching out the functioning of a vacuum tubular transportation system. Since then, several teams all over the world started working on this mobility concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How does it feel to travel in a hyperloop?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Virgin Hyperloop was the first to complete a passenger test in 2020. It was performed on a test track outside Las Vegas. The pod accelerated up to 160 kilometers per hour down the length of the track. The first two passengers were two Virgin employees who compared the pod\u2019s acceleration to the one of a plane.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"vlp-link-container vlp-layout-basic wp-block-visual-link-preview-link advgb-dyn-e2a073c9\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/how-are-the-hyperloop-plans-coming-along-in-groningen-six-questions-and-answers\/\" class=\"vlp-link\" title=\"How are the Hyperloop plans coming along in Groningen? Six questions and answers\"><\/a><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-side\"><div class=\"vlp-block-2 vlp-link-image\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-main\"><div class=\"vlp-block-0 vlp-link-title\">How are the Hyperloop plans coming along in Groningen? Six questions and answers<\/div><div class=\"vlp-block-1 vlp-link-summary\">Groningen has been designated as the place to test what is known as the Hyperloop: a tubular transport system in which people or goods travel travel at speeds of up to 700 kilometers per hour through a low-pressure environment.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why don\u2019t we have Hyperloop in place yet?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like in Brunel\u2019s age, Hyperloop still represents a huge engineering challenge. While it has been proven to be feasible on paper, much more challenges come up in practical implementation. In addition to entailing considerable starting costs, tube sealing would require a great deal of maintenance. Hyperloop tracks are made of steel, which expands and contracts depending on the external temperature. This would result in moving joints. That could lead to a lot of maintenance. Land acquisition is another point. Additionally, many safety aspects still need to be figured out \u2013 it can be much more dangerous traveling if failures occur. Such high speed can cause dizziness to passengers, which would also have limited space for moving during the journey.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What can we expect in Europe in the following years? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Several cohorts in Europe and in the world are working on Hyperloop applications. In the Netherlands, <a href=\"https:\/\/hardt.global\/\">Hardt Hyperloop<\/a> received <a href=\"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/en\/selected\/hardt-hyperloop-has-been-awarded-15-million-euros-from-brusselss-first-hyperloop-investment-package\/\">\u20ac15 million<\/a> from the EU to develop its concept. They also opened an experience <a href=\"https:\/\/hardt.global\/press\/hyperloop-experience-center-grand-opening\">center<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/tumhyperloop.com\/\">TUM Hyperloop<\/a> recently announced that it&#8217;s about to complete the construction of a concrete <a href=\"https:\/\/tumhyperloop.com\/press\/demonstrator_tube_nears_completion\/TUM_Hyperloop_Demonstrator_Tube_Nears_Completion.pdf\">tube<\/a> for Europe&#8217;s first passenger-size hyperloop demonstrator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By 2050, <a href=\"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/en\/?s=hardt+hyperloop\">Hardt<\/a> aims at completing a 100,000-kilometer-long global hyperloop network. Yet, the challenges to overcome &#8211; funding, safety, and land &#8211; still represent massive obstacles on the way to Hyperloop&#8217;s deployment. Until these are solved, the idea of traveling in a tube will stay a dream. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Londoners call their metro system the Tube. That\u2019s what most underground transport lines look like in most of the world: cavities where trains pass by with a high frequency. What about improving this concept and using a vacuum to move trains? That is in short what Hyperloop is about. It is still far in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2084,"featured_media":495226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26049],"tags":[41956,8923,55056,11653,3569],"location":[70256,66582],"article_type":[43139],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[74857],"reboot-archive":[],"class_list":["post-426796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobility","tag-hardt","tag-hyperloop-en","tag-sustainable-transport","tag-tesla-en","tag-treinen","location-eu","location-europe","article_type-features"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"Using a vacuum to move at over 1000 km per hour, that\u2019s what Hyperloop it's about.  According to many, it will revolutionize the way we move. ","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Mauro Mereu","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/mauro-mereu\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Helios-II-track.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Mobility<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Mobility<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">hardt<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">hyperloop<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">sustainable transport<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">tesla<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">treinen<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">hardt<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">hyperloop<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">sustainable transport<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">tesla<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">treinen<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 3 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on March 4, 2023","modified":"Updated on March 4, 2023"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on March 4, 2023 12:00 pm","modified":"Updated on March 4, 2023 12:00 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2084"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426796"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426796\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426796"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=426796"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=426796"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=426796"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=426796"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=426796"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=426796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}