Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) has unveiled its vision for using a high-speed transportation capsule system for freight hauling.
HyperloopTT, which last year became a publicly traded transportation vendor, said its Express Freight system would be used to deliver cargo faster, more efficiently and more sustainably than current first-mile logistics systems.
Specifically, HyperloopTT’s vision includes:
- Loading freight as fast as possible using existing infrastructure
- Maximizing freight volume inside capsules
- Catering to different demands
- Costing less than current methods
Hyperloop is the so-called fifth mode of transportation. Hyperloop technology uses magnetic levitation to lift a pod off the track and guide it as it moves, creating a friction-free track. Almost all the air in the tube surrounding the pod is removed to create the same environment found at 200,000 ft above sea level. The combination of the linear motor, magnetic levitation and low-pressure tube reduces drag so that only a small amount of electricity is needed to propel the pod at speeds as high as 670 mph. This could possibly create a more cost-effective system than high-speed rail or airline transportation.
In a feasibility study the company conducted in 2020, it was determined that hyperloop technology would be a cheaper option than air or truck options while simultaneously delivering goods faster. Additionally, the market for freight transportation is expected to grow to $484 billion globally by 2030 up from $260 billion in 2020, giving the hyperloop the potential to take advantage of the higher demand, HyperloopTT said.
Freight vision
HyperloopTT’s vision for cargo transportation features staggered doors for loading/unloading as well as double doors on both sides. The system will integrate with existing infrastructure by retaining the DockLock principle from the company’s passenger capsules.
The capsules will fit standard air cargo containers with a pocket door between structural ribs for more internal space. It will also add a hyperloop load device. The design is configurable so that if users need a different device layout for freight, it is flexible, HyperloopTT said.
Early stages
About two years ago, Virgin Hyperloop abandoned its passenger travel ambitions in favor of cargo transportation. Other companies are also focused heavily on the cargo transportation aspect of hyperloop like Zeleros, a Spanish start-up in Valencia, which is developing a capsule that can carry about two tons of materials.
And while many companies are still developing passenger hyperloop transportation systems, it remains in the nascent stages across the board.
That said, both Europe and the U.S. have been approved for potential funding for hyperloop technology through recent legislation. In 2021, the Biden Administration in the U.S. signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a wide-sweeping bill to allow investment in bridges, freeways and other means of transportation including the hyperloop.
Meanwhile, the European Union made its first direct funding investment into hyperloop technology two years ago with technology from Dutch startup Hardt Hyperloop.
China is also experimenting with its own hyperloop developments with an ultra-high-speed pipeline maglev system demonstrated by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). The state-backed university is expected to be operational by 2035 and would connect the capital city of Beijing with Shijiazhuang, the capital city of the Hebei province.
Technical University of Munich’s full-scale hyperloop test track was opened in the summer, the first European track of its kind. It will focus on passenger transportation. Source: TUM
Europe test track
Meanwhile, just recently Technical University of Munich’s (TUM's) hyperloop test track, a 24-meter-long tube near its Munich, Germany, campus, officially opened. It is billed as Europe’s first full-scale hyperloop test segment.
The test track has also been certified for passenger operations and TUM will focus primarily on the drive system, levitation technology and vacuum behavior as it looks to make the technology a reality. TUM has been one of the forerunners for hyperloop development, participating in SpaceX’s hyperloop competitions and offering educational training on the technology.
The TUM test track consists of a concrete vacuum tube, a passenger pod and the subsystems necessary for operations.
"Now we're able to show the public what future Hyperloop systems could look like,” said Gabriele Semino, project lead at TUM Hyperloop. “The transition from model scale to realistic dimensions and in particular Europe's first passenger test under vacuum conditions are important milestones on the road to scaling up the technology and testing it with longer segments.”
