The Hyperloop Express Freight System Can Automatically Transport Goods at Speeds of 1,223 km/h While Simultaneously Loading and Unloading.
Simulation of the Express Freight system in operation. (Video: HyperloopTT).
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) is focused on developing a near-frictionless high-speed train system that has the potential to revolutionize passenger and freight transport. The latest system introduced by the company is called Express Freight, which combines vacuum tubes, levitating pods, conveyor belts, and fully automated doors to load and unload cargo simultaneously before departure. HyperloopTT states that this system promises faster, more cost-effective, and sustainable transport compared to air or truck shipping, as reported by New Atlas on November 23.
The Express Freight system emerged after a feasibility study in the Great Lakes region in 2019, which helped determine that Hyperloop freight transport would be more cost-effective than air and road transport. HyperloopTT collaborated with the UK design company Tangerine to develop this freight transport system with four fundamental goals: integrating existing infrastructure, maximizing cargo flow within the pod, allowing for rapid loading, and ensuring sufficient flexibility to meet diverse customer needs.
The Express system accommodates multiple small air cargo containers through a side door of the loading and unloading pod. The Express freight pod moves through the Hyperloop vacuum tube. Upon reaching the station, it utilizes an automatic loading and unloading system via conveyor belts to simultaneously drop off containers inside the pod and pick up containers outside. The conveyor belt runs parallel to the tube, using a roller system to move goods in and out of the cargo pod. HyperloopTT and Tangerine have lowered the pod door to maximize volume and accommodate standard air cargo containers. A recessed door between structural supports further enhances the interior space.
The Express system accommodates multiple small air cargo containers through a side door of the loading pod.
“Hyperloop Express Freight will fundamentally change the way goods are transported globally,” predicted Andrés de León, CEO of HyperloopTT. “By integrating significant innovations such as rapid automated loading systems, maximized cargo capacity, and flexible configurations, we are developing an optimized Hyperloop train design to transport goods at unprecedented speeds at a lower cost than air and road transport. This new standard will provide greater efficiency, sustainability, and flexibility in global supply chains.
HyperloopTT plans to integrate the Express Freight system within the passenger transport infrastructure. The passenger system relies on aircraft-shaped pods traveling at speeds of 1,223 km/h through a low-pressure vacuum tube. Passengers will board and disembark at stations with the assistance of automated doors mounted on the pods to avoid pressure disruption.
