Ilaria Rosella Pagliaro A test in Switzerland marks a new distance record for the Hyperloop, the futuristic vacuum tube transport system: this innovative test highlights the technological progress achieved in the LIMITLESS project
©EPFL
A recent test in Switzerland has made history for the Hyperloop project with the longest journey a capsule has ever taken inside a vacuum tube. This test at an EPFL facility has showcased some pretty important technical developments that would revive optimism in the future of ultra-high-speed transportation.
LIMITLESS: pioneering new technology
At the heart of this achievement is LIMITLESS (Linear Induction Motor Drive for Traction and Levitation in Sustainable Hyperloop Systems) fully optimized to function at extremely high speeds. During testing, a 1:12 scale capsule traveled 7.3 miles in an environment with a pressure of just 0.7 psi, which scaled up would equate to a distance of 88 miles. The test represents huge progress toward the Hyperloop goal of vacuum vehicle propulsion and energy efficiency.
System performance: testing the autonomous capsule
Over 82 individual tests in all, critical subsystems were monitored by the team for propulsion, thermal management, power electronics, and communication infrastructure. The capsule being tested had successfully demonstrated autonomous navigation skills, structure with self-generated energy supply, and propulsion capability for ultimate real-world operational potential in the Hyperloop project. Our system is a closed loop with no intrinsic length limitation,” said Cyril Dénéréaz, Swisspod CTO. “Our track allows us to test the energy efficiency of the capsule and the propulsion systems beyond the limitations of current infrastructures developed by other Hyperloop players“.
Fast forward to fast travel: hyperloop for the future
Hyperloop is ultra-high-speed travel through magnetic levitation and elimination of atmospheric friction-first proposed by Elon Musk in 2013. This technology could reach a theoretical speed of up to 745 mph and would change the game in terms of long-distance travel. During Swiss tests, the vacuum-sealed capsule reached a top speed of 25.3 mph, which works out to a full-scale equivalent of 303 mph – not an absolute record, but significant nonetheless. Only this summer, China’s Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation reached 387 mph.
Although in recent times the project of the Hyperloop has lost some media visibility, this new record brings forth the fact that this technology is being developed to revolutionize long-distance travel. The innovations developed under LIMITLESS might also find their applications in automotive, urban transit, and aerospace, offering wide new horizons for the sustainability and efficiency of the future transportation systems.
Source: EPFL
