The hyperloop train from the startup Swisspod utilizes a linear induction motor, capable of transporting passengers at speeds exceeding 1,000 km/h.
Swisspod plans to launch the hyperloop train in 4 – 5 years.
Swisspod, based in Monthey, is planning to build a hyperloop system to transport passengers and goods from Geneva to Zurich in just 17 minutes, or from New York to Washington, DC in 30 minutes. The travel times are only 1/9 of the duration required for similar journeys by train in Switzerland and 1/7 of the usual time for the same distance in the United States, with significantly lower carbon emissions compared to air travel.
According to Denis Tudor, the CEO and co-founder of the company, Swisspod intends to operationalize the hyperloop train within 4 – 5 years. In the next 9 months, they will determine how to implement the technology based on results from a small test facility. Tudor stated that the company’s train model will operate at speeds of 1,000 – 1,200 km/h if the propulsion system is successfully developed. The company has not disclosed the costs for this ambitious project, but once operational, the passenger train will automatically decelerate when entering tunnels to provide a smooth journey.
Hyperloop is a transportation method being developed by several companies to move passengers at high speeds between distant locations. This concept was first proposed in 1910 by American engineer Robert Goddard and gained the interest of American billionaire Elon Musk in 2013. However, Swisspod’s project is unique in that it relies on a linear induction motor in its high-speed automated trains. The linear induction motor directly generates linear motion, differing from the rotational motion of wheels. Other hyperloop projects utilize a magnetic levitation system consisting of two sets of magnets, one to keep the train suspended above the track and another to propel the train forward, significantly reducing friction.
Swisspod and its partner EPFL have just completed the construction of a scaled-down prototype track for the project, funded by the Swiss government. The small circular version of the system will ultimately have a diameter of about 40 meters and is located at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The large vacuum tube will allow experts to test the linear induction motor responsible for propelling the train. Other hyperloop projects are underway at the Port of Hamburg, Toulouse, and in the Nevada desert under the direction of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop.
Swisspod’s Hyperloop train design. (Video: Swisspod).
