In May last year, US start-up Hyperloop had invited entries from all individuals and governments who wanted to bring their 760 mph trains to their respective cities or countries. Out of the 2600 entries received, it has approved routes for 35 of such proposals forwarded to it.
This was just the semifinal round where 17 countries were included. Just a handful of them will be selected as finalists by May end this year.
The US currently has 11 entries, India has five, the UK has four. Some of the notable proposed sites include Los Angeles to Ensenada (US), London to Edinburgh (UK) and Madrid to Tangiers (ES). The semi-finalists will now have to showcase their proposals in three upcoming dates: February 28 in New Delhi, India, April 6 in Washington D.C., and April 27 in London, UK. At the showcase, the contestant cities will get an opportunity to present models, maps, renderings and videos of their proposals.
The Hyperloop One Global Challenge unleashed ideas from some of the world’s most creative engineers and planners, who care as much as we do about the future of transportation.
said Rob Lloyd, the CEO for Hyperloop One.
These are all solutions that can make a real and immediate social and economic impact. The finalists are expected to be selected by May.
Dubai has also agreed to chalk out details regarding Hyperloop travel to Abu Dhabi, reducing it to a span of mere minutes. And as per VentureBeat’s interview with CEO Rob, the regulators are being extremely cooperative with Hyperloop
The company’s executives have stated that a testing system construction is underway in the outskirts of Las Vegas. The tube is visible from the highway itself, and the company’s getting all geared up for Kitty Hawk with pumps and generators installed in it. The result should be there for us to witness in a few months.
Hyperloop is a proposed mode of passenger and freight transportation that propels a pod-like vehicle through a near-vacuum tube at more than airline speed. The alpha version of the proposal, published on the SpaceX website, describes claims of the design of the system, as well as its function. The pods would accelerate to cruising speed gradually using a linear electric motor in reduced pressure zones and travel at 760 miles per hour.
In an interview with VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi, CEO Lloyd said that 25 of the 35 finalists were government supported. Some companies even sponsored an internal competition and made multiple submissions. Hyperloop is planning to conduct workshops across Asia, Europe and middle East to further the cause and propel interest in and analysis of transportation via pods.
Hyperloop has had it’s fair share of controversy as well. It settled a lawsuit last year involving it’s former employees regarding claims of mismanagement and favoritism.
