Record set at EPFL hyperloop test facility

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Scientists in Switzerland have completed the longest vacuum capsule journey in Europe's first operational hyperloop test facility.

Hyperloop has the potential to disrupt intra-continental travel
Hyperloop has the potential to disrupt intra-continental travel - Swisspod

The test run took place as part of the LIMITLESS (Linear Induction Motor Drive for Traction and Levitation in Sustainable Hyperloop Systems) project, carried out by EPFL, the School of Business and Engineering Vaud (HEIG-VD) and Swisspod Technologies.

 

 

The consortium said it completed the full-scale equivalent of a 141.6km hyperloop journey (11.8km at reduced scale), and top speeds of up to 488.2km/h (40.7km/h at reduced scale) within a controlled low-pressure environment. The results were unveiled during the Hyperloop Day event at EPFL.

This record was conducted at EPFL’s hyperloop testing facility, which is designed as a circular loop track and supports the rapid prototyping and testing of different technologies required by the hyperloop.

The infrastructure, with a diameter of 40cm and a circumference of 125.6m, is a scaled-down version (1:12) of the hyperloop system described in the EPFL doctoral thesis of Denis Tudor, the CEO of Swisspod. According to EPFL, this allows for a direct correlation between the test results and full-scale performance.

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Hyperloop