The experimental magnetic levitation train from Hardt has successfully run in a vacuum tube, aiming to be ready for passenger transport by 2030 with a target speed of 700 km/h.
Hardt, a startup based in the northern Netherlands, has reached a significant milestone in developing Hyperloop technology, a new form of public transportation where the train cabin is propelled through a low-pressure tube using magnetic fields. On September 9, the vehicle that the company is developing levitated and sped through the tube at a testing facility dedicated to high-speed transportation systems.
Hardt’s experimental vehicle running in the low-pressure tube. (Photo: Phys.org).
“With this first successful test, we can make the vehicle levitate and activate the guidance and propulsion systems,” said Marinus van der Meijs, Chief Technology Officer at Hardt.
The 420-meter-long tube at the European Hyperloop Center consists of 34 separate sections with a diameter of nearly 2.5 meters. A vacuum pump removes air to reduce pressure inside the tube, decreasing drag and allowing the train cabin to move at high speeds. Hyperloop developers aim to propel the train cabin through the tube at speeds of up to 700 km/h. According to them, this type of vehicle is much more efficient than short-haul flights, high-speed trains, and freight trucks, but requires significant investment in infrastructure. In the limited space of the testing facility, the speed of the train cabin is relatively modest.
Once placed in the tube, the train cabin accelerates similarly to a subway train, reaching a maximum speed of 30 km/h over about 100 meters in the tube, according to Van der Meijs. Nevertheless, this is still a milestone that requires careful execution.
“The most challenging aspect we are working on is testing all functions simultaneously. Levitation, propulsion, guidance; we can now operate all these functions like a symphony orchestra to work together,” said Roel van de Pas, Chief Commercial Officer at Hardt.
Billionaire Elon Musk first proposed the idea of Hyperloop over a decade ago, predicting it could transport passengers at speeds of nearly 645 km/h between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 30 minutes. Since then, many teams around the world have sought to turn this idea into reality. According to Van de Pas, Hardt will be ready for passenger operations by 2030.
Some analysts remain skeptical. When the Hyperloop testing facility opened in March, Robert Noland, a professor at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, stated that building the necessary infrastructure for Hyperloop is prohibitively expensive.
