Update regarding recent global events of hyperloop

The previous hyperloop article was posted about a year ago. This article is a hyperloop update.

China hyperloop

China is the current global leader in advanced transit technology. The term hyperloop for the China technology is somewhat of a misnomer. China doesn’t call its maglev in a tube, hyperloop; although the most rapid amount of hyperloop vehicle technology progress is taking place in China. The majority of hyperloop companies are working towards track infrastructure and politics. Significant hyperloop vehicle technology is taking place in China. The article in Interesting Engineering highlights the newest of hyperloop tests.

The Chinese company, the Third Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) announced it has achieved significant advancement with its superconducting maglev train technology. CASIC's announcement indicates that the performance surpassed the previous known record set by a superconducting maglev vehicle, which reached 623km/hr (387mph) under non-vacuum conditions in October 2023. The maglev vehicle showed stable levitation while traversing a low-vacuum tube, on its full-scale 2km (1.2-mile) test line. 

https://newatlas.com/transport/china-vacuum-maglev/

In China, transportation is different; innovative technology is promoted and produced by the government. In other countries, large transportation projects are political and the product of bureaucracy, lacking innovation. China’s communist government eliminates competitive practices. 

Hyperloop TT in Europe

https://www.hyperlooptt.com

One of the original hyperloop companies is Hyperloop Transportation Technology (HTT). It’s founder, Dirk Ahlborn, found a better reception in Europe than in the US. The European co-founder Bebop Sherpa, has aligned tremendous political support throughout Europe. One of the most active hyperloop technology companies is now located in Italy. 

This type of transportation project requires massive rights-of-ways and infrastructure costs. It also requires tremendous political support. Due to the risk adverse nature of politics, gathering support for any new transportation technology is next to impossible.

HTT says its breakthrough vehicle technology is a next-generation passive magnetic levitation system called Inductrack. The Inductrack technology was originally established by General Atomics by their development team in the mid-1990s’s and early 2000s. Inductrack was designed as a small vehicle, Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system technology. The passive maglev technology development was shelved in the early 2000’s by General Atomics, with the conclusion that its wrap-around technology design has no interactive switching capability. The HTT team feels the larger vehicle size can adapt the Inductrack technology with its single dedicated guideway configuration. Inductrack uses a passive magnet alignment configured in a Halbach array. The HTT system, has been tested and validated on a full-scale passive magnet levitation guideway. The Inductrack technology enables passive levitation over an unpowered but conductive track.

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/hyperlooptt-unveils-full-scale-capsule-for-760mph-travel/

Hyperloop in Italy

https://hyperloopitalia.com/

From their start in Europe, HTT’s expansion can be attributed to Bebop Sherpa. He has assembled a tremendous alliance and political support. This group has taken great strides in breaking the mold of traditional transportation projects.

The link to Hyperloop Italia’s agreement with Italy’s government to build the first Hyperloop system in the world: https://www.breakinglatest.news/technology/the-first-hyperloop-ultra-fast-train-in-veneto-gresta-the-signature-is-there-important-momentum/

A good journalistic piece: https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2024/02/17/new-hope-of-uae-hyperloop-system-as-italian-passenger-line-gets-green-light/

Hyperloop in Holland

https://www.hardt.global/

The Hardt Hyperloop organization has a great mixture of political participation and early development funding. A large portion of its funding is from the European Union.

The difference with Hardt is their vehicle technology is apparently a suspended maglev technology. This is very different than the other hyperloop vehicles.

In the 1990s, a PRT company was started with the goal of creating a traffic solution. The company’s founder was a very enthusiastic proponent of reducing freeway and road congestion. He promoted the company and received quite a bit of support. The company, SkyTran, sold to a company in Israel in the mid-2010s. After announcing several technological advances, the announcements stopped and has quietly disappeared. The interesting aspect to their technology advances, Hardt has appeared with similar technology.

Hardt will be an intriguing hyperloop company to watch.  

Hyperloop in Germany

https://tumhyperloop.com/

With the support of the Bavarian state government and their Hightech Agenda, the demonstrator is the key technology piece developed by the TUM Hyperloop Program at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

The TUM Hyperloop website refers to themselves as building Europe’s first hyperloop passenger demonstrator.

The TUM Hyperloop organization is German academia. A playful and fun college group that has won several Hyperloop technology awards. Their website is vague, without an explanation of their vehicle technology.  

Hyperloop in Spain

https://zeleros.com/

This company has a global vision. It uses a giant electric fan to propel the vehicle inside an air evacuated tube. The company has a nice website.   

Hyperloop in the USA

Although the Hyperloop concept began in the US, the government’s political agenda has a different direction. Hyperloop technology is a more efficient form of transportation for public transit; however, US government’s agencies are heavily influenced by lobbyist’s interests. Those interests only benefit from maintaining status-quo technology with the results seen as the government obsessing to an agenda of lower standards which perpetuate the status-quo. Rather than engaging in sustainable transportation, which is the basis of urban growth, the politics in the US have moved in the opposite direction of productivity. It’s as though innovation is the enemy of bureaucracy. Following this procedure, the government raises taxes. With every gas tax increase, public transit stays the same and the worn-out roads get worse.   

This link is a mostly accurate article explaining the demise of hyperloop in the US. https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/21/24011448/hyperloop-one-shut-down-layoff-closing-elon-musk

Trains are a 200-year-old technology. They provided the ability to carry large groups of passengers, and cargo, from one central location to another central location. The automobile provided transportation independence 100 years ago. The merits for building new train lines are valid. Implementing trains with efficient maglev technology is practical. For the government to grant billions of dollars to a private company to build a train line, is another example of the US commitment to lobbyist dictates.

This link is an article about the new Brightline West line: https://thepointsguy.com/news/brightline-west-more-funding/. The article is about Brightline, however, it could have been hyperloop.