After 3 years of working on design, doing research and analysis, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) announced that it has begun construction of the world’s first full scale Passenger Hyperloop ™ capsule.
To build passenger capsule, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies partnered with Carbures S.A., a manufacturer of composite parts and structures and designer of engineering systems, which operates in the aerospace, automotive, civil works, railway and security industries.
"Carbures is a consolidated leader in the structural composites world with over 15 years of experience. With over 1000 employees, eight manufacturing plants and five engineering centers, they are the perfect partner for HTT," said HTT Board Member Ramón Betolaza.
HTT is building an end-to-end solution to address the increasing inter and intra-city transportation needs of our society in a safe, affordable and environmentally-friendly manner.
To develop and bring project from concept to reality, the company assembled a team of highly experienced engineers, scientists and creators from both the private and public sector. In fact, in just a few years company’s team has grown from 100 members, including professionals from such organizations as Boeing, Airbus, NASA, Harvard, UCLA, Stanford and others, to over 800 professionals (engineers, architects, scientists, computer modelers, transportation planners and construction professionals) working across 38 countries.
"We have some of the best global talent as part of our team," said HTT Chairman Bibop Gresta. "Tapping into this expertise ensures we are able to build not just faster, but better. Hyperloop ™ comes to life because we're building this company in a smarter way."
As HTT states, it is working to make Hyperloop ™ not only the fastest, but also the safest form of transportation today. “We are taking a passenger first approach to guarantee that safety is always our number one concern. It has been crucial in our development to go past the simple requirements of freight in order to build a better and safer system for everyone," said HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn.
Here are the final specs for the capsule:
- Length: 30 meters (98.5 feet)
- Diameter: 2.7 meters (9 feet)
- Weight: 20 tons
- Passenger capacity: 28-40
- Speed: Up to 1223 km/h (760 mph)
In 2016, HTT revealed that it plans to build Hyperloop capsules out of Vibranium. Vibranium skin material is made of sensor embedded carbon fiber. As HTT claims, this material is 8 times stronger than aluminum and 10 times stronger than steel alternatives. It is also 5 times lighter than steel and 1.5 times lighter than aluminum. In addition, Vibranium transmits critical information regarding temperature, stability, integrity and more, wirelessly and instantly. To develop Vibranium, HTT contracted with Slovakian company C2i, which intelligently engineers carbon-fiber structures for next-generation cars and aircrafts.
While building the world’s first full scale Passenger Hyperloop ™ capsule, HTT is also working on creating the necessary regulatory framework for the Hyperloop ™ system worldwide. “Since we have solved all the technical issues, it is now crucial for us to collaborate with governments around the world,” said HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn. “It is critical for Hyperloop to be working directly with regulators at this stage of development, new rules and frameworks will need to be written as we begin building out systems in Slovakia, the Emirates and several other to come.”
HTT already reached a development agreement with government of Slovakia. This agreement allows company to explore the opportunities of building a local Hyperloop ™ system with routes that will connect Bratislava with Vienna and Budapest, helping to redefine the concept of commuting and boost cross-border cooperation in this region.
HTT also signed a development deal with Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport of Abu Dhabi to conduct a study on high-speed travel between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and develop a route connecting these cities.
In January 2017, HTT announced that it has started collaborating with Government Officials of Brno, a city in Czech Rebublic, to explore the feasibility for a Hyperloop ™ system for the city with a focus on connecting Brno and Bratislava, and also the capital of Czech Republic Prague.
Lately, HTT also announced that it signed an agreement with the French city of Toulouse, which is also known worldwide as “Aerospace Valley”, to open a facility for the development and testing of Hyperloop-related technologies. “Our new center in Toulouse will help us continue to develop and manufacture important aerospace technology which will further improve the system,” said HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn. “The talent pool in the region allows us to hire some of the brightest minds in aerospace.”
HTT states that it will reveal its passenger capsule in its new Toulouse Research and Development Facility in early 2018. While the construction is underway for delivery and official reveal, HTT continues negotiations with governments and keeps conducting feasibility studies around the world.
“Our close relationship with the local government is exactly what is needed to implement Hyperloop systems in Europe,” said HTT COO Andres De Leon. “While developing our technology we will also work together to create the necessary regulatory framework for the system.”
Jean-Luc Moudenc, Mayor of Toulouse and President of Toulouse Métropole, added, “Hyperloop Transportation Technologies represents the cutting edge of transportation. This new collaborative corporation is already having a big impact on Europe and the rest of the world. We look forward to the exciting advancements that HTT will develop here.”
For more details, visit Hyperloop Transportation Technologies website.
by Natalie Myhalnytska
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