New high-speed hyperloop test claims to change the future of travel

The world’s longest hyperloop test has revealed what future high-speed travel could look like – but critics doubt the viability of hyperloop technology for mass use.

While the UK is lagging behind on the development of the high-speed railway after HS2 delays and changes, elsewhere in Europe the technology appears to go ahead leaps and bounds.

It might be difficult to stay optimistic about the future of the country’s railways – despite the recent government announcement to extend the HS2 from Old Oak Common to London Euston.

In Switzerland, engineers have now carried out a world record for the longest hyperloop trial and they say it could change the future of travel.

Swisspod completed the full-scale equivalent of an 88-mile journey at 303,3 mph at a test facility in the Alpine country.

At a reduced scale in the test environment, the capsule travelled at around 25 mph (40.7 km/h)

The Swisspod scientists say this would translate directly to 303.3 mph on an 88-mile journey – roughly the distance between London Waterloo and Salisbury, Geneva and Bern or San Francisco and Sacramento.

The capsule is fully autonomous in terms of its navigation, energy supply and propulsion, Swisspod said.

While the test was carried out in a scaled-down version of the actual hyperloop, the scientists said the Swisspod will significantly cut journey times between cities and countries – and with almost zero carbon emissions.

The scientists used a hyperloop system scaled down to 1:12 to test the project called LIMITLESS (Linear Induction Motor Drive for Traction and Levitation in Sustainable Hyperloop Systems).

The outdoor test loop measured 15 inches in diameter and has a circumference of around four feet.

The team carried out 82 tests with experiments replicating a hyperloop capsule’s trajectory within a controlled low-pressure environment operated at 50 millibars.

Denis Tudor, the CEO of Swisspod, has argued that the scaled-down version allows for a direct correlation between the test results and full-scale performance.

In real life, the high-speed transportation system would consist of an autonomous, fully electric pod levitating at near-sonic speeds of up to 746 mph in a low-pressure environment with almost no air resistance, the scientists say.

Swisspod said: ‘Future tests at the Swiss EPFL facility aim to further validate more efficient versions of the LIM-based hyperloop propulsion and levitation as well as explore the system’s real-world capabilities, limitations, and prospects, while offering vital data for accelerating the path to market deployment.’

Swisspod project is now looking to develop its hyperloop technology further at its US test facility in Pueblo, Colorado, where a full-scale facility will mirror the Swiss version.

The company claimed that the site is set to become the world’s largest hub for hyperloop experiments and the most cost-effective hyperloop system globally, with tests scheduled to start early next year.

The test track features a slightly elliptical closed loop, stretching across a diameter of 1.6 km (0.99 miles) and when completed, it will cover an area of approximately 162,000 square metres.

However, critics have labelled the use of the current hyperloop technology for mass transport as unachievable and even fictional.

A number of different providers have tried – and failed – to develop hyperloop technology over the years.

Some of the obstacles include maintaining the vacuum system, capsule propulsion systems, scalability, safety and economic viability among others.

Jörg Marienhagen, director of Consulting and Business Development at DB Engineering and Consulting, has previously said that ‘various technology providers and promoters are individually addressing distinct aspects of hyperloop technology, leading to parallel efforts in resolving open issues.’

This has resulted in ‘minimal collaboration’ between different providers, PierNext reports – a problem for standardisation and regulation.

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