Image credits: Hardt Hyperloop
Humans have always sought ways to make travel faster and more convenient. Realising the gap, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, burst onto the scenes with the Hyperloop concept in 2013.
He published a white paper under “Hyperloop Alpha” describing the fifth mode of transportation with a proposed route between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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Since then, the technology and concept has been ambitiously adopted and advanced at pace, by several companies globally, with the aim to commercialise it
One such company is the Delft-based Hardt Hyperloop, a winner of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop competition in 2017.
What is Hyperloop?
Hyperloop is a revolutionary ground transport system, still, in its nascent stages, that lets passengers travel at over 760 miles/hour in floating pods within low-pressure tubes.
Powered by an entirely electromagnetic propulsion system, Hyperloop will not only cut travel time between major cities by several hours but also help the European community agenda – making the transport sector more sustainable.
Hyperloop Experience video
Recently, the Dutch company published a Hyperloop Experience video showing what travelling via hyperloop looks like.
Hardt Hyperloop produced the video in cooperation with UNStudio and in partnership with Twisted, a creative production agency based in Eindhoven.
“The 3D animation takes users along on a trip from Amsterdam to Berlin and allows you to experience it through the eyes of the passengers,” says the company.
Check out the video below:
Sustainable alternative
The Hyperloop was developed as a sustainable alternative to short-haul flights. Hardt says that passengers are updated on their current location and time, the estimated arrival times, and the transfer options, during the trip.
The ceiling of the tube has a skylight made up of curved screens that can show the weather conditions outside.
Using VR technology, Hardt conducted qualitative research on how passengers feel about travelling in a vehicle without windows, and the results were positive.
Mars Geuze, co-founder of Hardt Hyperloop: “Users describe both the station and the vehicle as spacious, comfortable and relaxing. Hyperloop is perceived as high-quality public transport, and yet ticket prices will be comparable to what people are used to from existing means of transport”.
The route from Amsterdam to Berlin is one of the many routes in the network Hardt Hyperloop will use to connect European cities to each other.
Ben van Berkel, the founder of UNStudio/UNSense, which is responsible for the design of the Hyperloop stations, says: “Urbanisation has created infrastructure challenges that cannot be solved with our current modalities. That’s why we need a sustainable alternative to flying. The Hyperloop provides this alternative, with travellers additionally being offered seamless connections to other transportation modalities in the city centres of existing cities. This animation is a preview of what you can expect.”
Hardt Hyperloop: What you need to know
Founded by Marinus Van Der Meijs, Mars Geuze, Sascha Lamme, and Tim Houter in 2016, Hardt develops a hyperloop transport system for travelling huge distances completely emission-free, safe, and accessible to everyone.
The company established its first European full-scale hyperloop test facility in 2019 and is currently realising the European Hyperloop Center in the Dutch province of Groningen, which will be Europe’s first high-speed hyperloop test facility.
Lane Switch technology
The company is planning to demonstrate lane-switching for high-speed hyperloop in 2023.
The first European Hyperloop network will be equipped with Hyperloop Lane Switch (HLS) technology, which enables hyperloop vehicles to change lanes without any additional or moving components.
This means that even when vehicles are travelling at high speeds, they can effortlessly switch routes, and merge in and out of the network.
The Delft-based company is working with various public and private partners, including the Dutch Government, the Province, and Municipality of Groningen, Dutch Railways, Royal Schiphol Group, Tata Steel, and Royal BAM Group, in the Hyperloop Development Program (HDP) on the integration of this new modality alongside cars, trains, and planes in the European Hyperloop Centre.
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