Hyperloop, travel pods shooting through frictionless tubes at supersonic speeds, a concept popularised by Elon Musk more than a decade ago, is progressing in India. India’s first hyperloop test track is ready! Indian Railways along with IIT Madras has achieved a notable advancement in transport technology with the completion of India’s first 410-metre hyperloop test track.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced this achievement on Thursday, sharing a video of the test track. "Bharat's first Hyperloop test track (410 meters) completed. Team Railways, IIT-Madras' Avishkar Hyperloop team, and TuTr (an incubated startup)," the Minister posted on X (formerly Twitter).
At IIT Madras, Avishkar Hyperloop, a student team, and TuTr Hyperloop, a start-up incubated on the campus, are developing cost-effective hyperloop technologies.
The origin and journey of hyperloop so far
Hyperloop is an under development high-speed mass transport system. It operates like railways but uses newer technologies which are expected to be more efficient and cheaper. Globally these are multiple technologies being considered to achieve the goal of developing a transportation system using capsules supported by an air-bearing surface within a low-pressure tube.
A hyperloop system utilises pods as pressurised vehicles that travel at exceptional velocities through tubes maintained at low pressure. Each pod is designed to transport 24-28 passengers between locations without stopping at intermediate stations, offering an efficient solution for direct travel.
The original hyperloop system was conceptualized by Swiss Professor Marcel Juffer in the 1970s. In 1992, Swissmetro SA was created to develop this project, but it went into liquidation in 2009. Interest in the technology was renewed in 2012 due to the publication of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Alpha paper.
In July 2021, Swisspod, a company backed by Musk, launched an infinite hyperloop test track in Switzerland and first vacuum test was undertaken in March 2022. Swisspod also got a €3.5 million grant for developing Energy-Autonomous Hyperloop Vehicles in August 2023. There are nearly 10 Hhyperloop companies in the world, working to develop the futuristic transit system.
Hyperloop One, one of the most promising Hyperloop companies in the US, funded by investors which included Virgin founder Richard Branson and the Emirati port operator Dubai Ports World, had to shut down for various reasons including the failure to secure won a contract to build a working hyperloop. In 202O, it had conducted a test run on a 500-metre track in Las Vegas in the US with a pod, travelling with passengers, inside an enclosed tube at more than 100 mph or 161 kmph. Maharashtra had considered Hyperloop One for a Mumbai-Pune hyperloop project.
The Boring Company, the tunnel construction services company founded by Musk, had aimed to build a high-speed hyperloop. Nearly two years ago, Musk had said the company will attempt to build a working hyperloop in the coming years. "From a known physics standpoint, this is the fastest possible way of getting from one city centre to another for distances less than 2,000 miles. Starship is faster for longer journeys," he had written on X. However, months later, Boring Company converted its original test facility into a parking lot. Musk instead started working on another transport project to shoot Teslas through tunnels. The shutdown of Hyperloop One and uncertainty about Musk's hyperloop project has thrown the future of hyperloop into doubt. There are questions over safety, efficiency and financial viability of hyperloop.
However, several companies are still trying to develop this system. In September, a Dutch company Hardt Hyperloop announced the first successful test of its hyperloop vehicle. The vehicle moved smoothly through the first 90 meters of the 420-meter long facility at a speed of almost 30 km/h. Hardt Hyperloop is now focused on its next testing milestone: a full-speed test (80-100 km/h) through the lane switch in a low-pressure environment, alongside numerous technology verification and validation tests, expected to be completed in the upcoming year.
India's hyperloop project
Early this year, Railways Minister Vaishnaw said that the the hyperloop technology was seven-eight years away. Niti Aayog Member VK Saraswat had said last year in November hat some foreign companies had shown interest to bring hyperloop technology for ultra-high-speed travel in India, but discussions were at a very early stage.
Elon Musk-backed Swisspod Technologies had considered an India footprint through collaboration in joint research, development, and construction of hyperloop system. In March this year, Denis Tudor, CEO & Co-founder of Swisspod had told ET that the Indian government can invest in a study for commercial routes of a joint venture his company has with TuTr Hyperloop, an IIT Madras-incubated deep tech start-up, which is already partnering with the IIT-M to develop hyperloop.
“They (Indian government) could finance a feasibility study where we can be part of. We can offer them a service and work for the Indian government,” Tudor said while adding that some components of the Swisspod hyperloop test track are being sourced from India. Swisspod has signed a memorandum of understanding with TuTr Hyperloop to contribute to the IIT Madras Center of Excellence for Hyperloop Technology, which has already received funding support from the Railways Ministry.
ArcelorMittal too has partnered with the IIT-M for its ongoing hyperloop project. AM/NS India – a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel – will supply 400 tonne of steel for fabrication of a 400-metre vacuum tube, which will be used for testing levitating pods at speeds of up to 200 kilometres/hour at the facility. Apart from this, ArcelorMittal’s India-based design and engineering arm will also be posting its engineers at the site for providing design and engineering expertise and overseeing the project.
No comments:
Post a Comment