Train, car, ship or plane – that is, the common ways to travel are today. But what is Hyperloop? The System, in the case of the capsules the speed of sound whizzing through tubes comes, rather, as some believe?
Hyperloop is a System of connected tubes, in which a partial vacuum prevails. In them can be transported – at least theoretically – people and cargo with almost the speed of sound (1200 km/h).
The principle is based on the idea of the pipe post. Such plants were already in the 19th century. Century in different cities to be built. In 2013 the Elon presented Musk, founder of electric car maker Tesla and space company SpaceX, the Hyperloop concept as the transportation vision for the 21st century. Century.
Hyperloop-Conveyor Elon Musk
The Hyperloop capsules will be freely hunted, suspended by tubes, in which extreme pressure is below atmospheric pressure – driven either by air pressure or with the aid of magnetic rails.
Passengers will glide quickly forward as in a plane, commuting twice as fast as in a high-speed train. The Transport should not cause any emissions. In addition, the Hyperloop is supposed to be only half as expensive as an ICE route of the railway.
Futurists praise style the Hyperloop as a Revolution of our way of life, while critics doubt the technological and financial assumptions.
A handful of private companies, delivers since then a race to develop the technology and to change the transport system. One of these companies, Hyperloop One from the Los Angeles, California, announced in mid-July, you got tested in may of their own Hyperloop System successfully under vacuum conditions.
“We will be able to move between cities as if they were the stops of a metro line,” says Shervin Pishevar, co-founder of Hyperloop One. However, the vacuum technology is far from Mature, although it is crucial to achieve the promised high speeds. Finally, the travel times between Helsinki and Stockholm or between Berlin and Munich should be less than a half hour.
Partnerships for the future
Hyperloop One and the other competitors are still in the early stages of development. Nevertheless, the corporate design is already possible routes, and have piqued the interest of investors and governments.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) from the United States, for example, has concluded an exploration agreement, to the possibilities of Hyperloop-to explore the corridor between the Czech cities of Brno and Prague and Bratislava, Slovak Republic. Recently, the company announced that it had sold a license of its technology to the government of South Korea.
In contrast to companies such as the ride-service provider Uber, or the overnight intermediaries Airbnb, which according to the principle: “First and later ask, if it is at all allowed”, keep track of HTT and Hyperloop One a different strategy – they rely on partnerships to implement ideas.
In the past month, organized Hyperloop One in Amsterdam, a Meeting called “visions for Europe” and presented ambitious proposals to connect around 75 million Europeans in 44 cities.
Fans in the policy
The greeting Melanie Schultz van Haegen, self-confessed Hyperloop Enthusiast and Dutch Minister of infrastructure and the environment. “Hyperloop can change everything,” she said and cited the examples of traffic jams, the increasing number of users of public transport and the need to the emissions of harmful greenhouse gases to curb.
“The Netherlands have every reason to support this innovative mobility concept. We do not, will not develop our country,” the Minister said.
The Dutch Delft University of technology has successfully taken part in an international competition, sponsored by Elon Musks company SpaceX. On Europe’s first Hyperloop test track, the researchers to the development of the passenger work cabins, the Pods are called. The Ministry of infrastructure is involved and also prepares a mobility law, which aims to simplify the implementation of innovations.
A model of the driving carriage, the Hyperloop One in may, has tested
Gillian Harrison from the Institute for transportation at the University of Leeds in England finds such cooperation is generally good. “We need a closer connection between the entrepreneurs and decision-makers in the policy.” However, the need to ensure that laws are complied with, and not just for the companies benefit. “Decision makers in politics, are ultimately committed to the public interest.”
Still far from 1200 km/h
The risk was always that a new technology passes through, said Harrison. A good planning to make it, “‘s right horse”. “But models are only as good as the data and the Knowledge of the planners,” she said. And currently, the majority of planners were employed for Autonomous driving, not with the Hyperloop.
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Fast, faster, fastestPresentation of the latest model
A new ICE 4 (on the right in the picture) at the launch in Berlin in December of last year, during an ICE 3 passes. The new foursome (officially: the 412 series) to go in the fall of 2016, initially in the trial operation, and then for the schedule change in next year’s regular service. The ICE 4 is just 350 meters long and has 830 seats.
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Fast, faster, fastestKing of the Rail
Every German knows the ICE. Anyway, the brand of ICE achieved according to the Deutsche Bahn in Germany, an awareness level of 100 percent. The high-speed train is considered to be the flagship of the company. While the ICE provides only eight to ten percent of the turnover, characterises a large part of the Reputation of the group.
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Fast, faster, fastestFamous Predecessor
The Trans Europ Express (TEE, often incorrectly as the Trans-Europe-Express), was a Standard for high-speed trains, which ran from 1957 to 1987 between the member States of the European economic community (EEC), Austria and Switzerland. Trains of this standard resulted in only cars of the first class. The photo shows the legendary TEE “Rheingold”.
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Fast, faster, fastestTourist Attraction
So it looked on the inside of the TEE “Rheingold”, the luxury train of the 1960s. Here is a look in the club car with a Bar. Even today, the railway will be able to experience this ambience, travel and tourism companies offer special trips with the TEA. The glory of bygone days can be seen up close.
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Fast, faster, fastestUr-ancestor of the ICE
Already in 1903, made the first Attempts in the field of high-speed by the society for the study of Electric Railways. A rotary current-railcars from Siemens reached on the test track in Berlin, a top speed of around 210 km/h. But only after the First world war, the fast engines, have been developed.
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Fast, faster, fastestFlying Trains
The German Reichsbahn set in the 1930s, increasingly on diesel railcars. Faster rail links were against the emerging competition of the Cars and the aircraft. Starting in 1933, Flying trains were in traffic. It shortened the travel time between the cities significantly. It is a first fast transport network, the basis of today’s ICE network.
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Fast, faster, fastestInternational Competition
The fastest of all the traditional trains, the French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse). It’s been going on since 1981, in the control operation. The latest Version of the AGV, in 2007, reached even to 574 kilometers per hour. In General, the trains travel up to 320 km/h. trains on TGV-base there are, among others, in Germany, Belgium, the UK, Switzerland and Italy.
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Fast, faster, fastestBeijing-Shanghai 380 km/h
The Velaro trains have like other of its kind, not a locomotive, but the Motor units in all axes. The fastest of all drives in normal operation in China, the Harmony CRH 380A. During a test run in 2010, the train reached a speed of 486 km/h per hour. Between Beijing and Shanghai, he swings today, with an operating speed of 380 km/h.
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Fast, faster, fastestHigh-Speed Pioneer Japan
Already ahead of France, Japan had taken the Shinkansen a real high speed train in operation: 1964 to the summer Olympic games in Tokyo, the predecessor of this train went regular with 210 km/h. Today, the trains, such as this latest model, a maximum of 320 km/h operation in the rule.
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Fast, faster, fastestA vision of the future with 1200 km/h
The Hyperloop from California is a concept for a high-speed transport system, the capsules a day electrically-driven passenger-Tempo 1225 km/h on a cushion of air due to extra built, the tubes should be transported.
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Fast, faster, fastestWith more than 1200 Km/h through the steel tube
Hyperloop, the tube post’s concept of Elon Musk, founder of space travel company SpaceX and the car manufacturer Tesla. In addition to the route Bratislava-Vienna, the connection between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley is in the conversation.
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Fast, faster, fastestThere is little resistance in the partial-vacuum
The special feature of Hyperloop: In the tubes, a lower air pressure than outside. A proper vacuum, it can’t be, because this is a huge railway system engineer is technically feasible. However, conventional vacuum pumps can, at least, lowering the air pressure so strong that the air resistance in the tube decreases significantly.
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Fast, faster, fastestIt must not necessarily go over Land
An underwater Tunnel would also be conceivable. Then the approval would be procedure easier than if the tube over the country. So far the project is at an early stage in the children but in the experimental phase. In January, the company Hyperloop Technologies has launched a test site, near Las Vegas, Nevada, in operation for models on a smaller scale.
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Fast, faster, fastestFloating on air
The narrow Hyperloop trains to float on a cushion of air, which they themselves create by their rapid movement. With speeds of about 1200 kilometers per hour should be possible. But there are also fundamental doubts about the tubular post, for the people: How passengers will be able to endure the strong accelerations? How to be in the emergency first aid?
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Fast, faster, fastestA U-Bahn for Switzerland
More recently, the idea of the vacuum channeled tube of the tunnel is not. Swiss engineers, the Swiss metro is a tunnel system in favour of between the most important cities of the Switzerland. Here, too, the trains should float. Not on air, but electro-magnetic. But as soon as Hyperloop, you are not supposed to be only 500 km/h.
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Fast, faster, fastest“The feeling on the plane”
Similar to test passengers floating in the Japanese Maglev can feel the Maglev. With increasing speed, the ride is always stable. Only a Select few can experience the currently. A first connection between Tokyo and Nagoya, is designed for 2027 and planned to fast-paced 500 kilometers per hour.
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Fast, faster, fastestThe floating king
And so he looks on the outside: Maglev Levitation is the abbreviation for “magnetic levitation”, so magnetic. Magnetic levitation, so-called track-guided land transport. Magnetic forces keep you in suspense. You will be guided through the lane, driven, and braked. There is no friction and much less wear and tear.
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Fast, faster, fastestTo the airport – but quickly!
The Transrapid Shanghai is currently the world’s fastest train in operation. He uses the same magnetic levitation technology, such as Japanese Maglev and has an operating speed of 430 kilometers per hour. The train passengers from Shanghai to the airport – a journey of 30.5 kilometers, which takes eight minutes.
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Fast, faster, fastestIn Germany, invented
The model of Shanghai is from Siemens and ThyssenKrupp of Germany. For the first time the Original 1983 drove on this test track in the Emsland. In Germany, there were different ideas for magnetic levitation tracks, but none of them was able to prevail politically. The main reason: The classic railway caught up with the wheel on the Rail, and still be fast.
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Fast, faster, fastestICE instead of magnetic levitation
Germany, with the ICE Velaro high-speed trains from Siemens. You can easily be used in existing networks to integrate. The ICE set up in 1988, set a speed record of 406,9 kilometers per hour. Normally ICEs to but not exceeding 300 km/h. Today, the Velaro trains are a popular export. You are driving in Spain, China, Russia, the UK and Turkey.
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Fast, faster, fastestBeijing-Shanghai 380 km/h
The Velaro trains have no locomotive, but the Motor units in all axes. The fastest of all drives in normal operation in China, the Harmony CRH 380A. During a test run in 2010, the train reached a speed of 486 kilometers per hour. Commuters between Beijing and Shanghai will have to give today, with an operating speed of 380 km/h is satisfied.
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Fast, faster, fastestThe mother of all high-speed trains
The fastest of all the traditional trains, the French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse). It’s been going on since 1981, in the control operation. The latest Version of the AGV, in 2007, reached even to 574 kilometers per hour. In General, the trains travel up to 320 km/h. trains on TGV-base there are, among others, in Germany, Belgium, the UK, Switzerland and Italy.
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Fast, faster, fastestHigh-Speed Pioneer Japan
Already ahead of France, Japan had taken the Shinkansen a real high speed train in operation: 1964 to the summer Olympic games in Tokyo, the predecessor of this train went regular with 210 km/h. Today, the trains, such as this latest model, a maximum of 320 km/h operation in the rule.
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Fast, faster, fastestSpeed is not everything
Starting in the year 2017, the Deutsche Bahn gets a new train: The ICE 4 comes with twelve cars to a total of 830 seats and a length of 350 meters. New in the case, not faster. A maximum of 250 km/h he is to travel. The ICE4 but also consumes significantly less energy.
How far is the road to Revolution in the field of transport, also showed the Test in the Nevada desert, the Hyperloop One in may, to the exclusion of the Public. A drive was first sent to sled in original size, through a tube, but without a passenger cabin.
On the short test hovered the track carriage for 5.3 seconds and reached a speed of 113 kilometers per hour – a far cry from the 1200 km/h, of which Hyperloop-rave Fans.
In the next test phase, a speed of 400 kilometers per hour you are aiming for. Hyperloop One and other companies are hoping to up the pace then. In the meantime, build strategic partnerships, plan routes and prepare for regulatory hurdles.