[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7395\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EParis to Berlin in an hour by train? Here\u2019s how it could happen.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn November of 2020 two people were shooting through an airless tube at 160 km\/h in the desert outside of Las Vegas. This wasn\u2019t a ride invented by a casino or theme park; it was the first crewed ride of a hyperloop by the company Virgin Hyperloop. The ride only lasted 15 seconds, and the speeds they achieved were a far cry from the 1200 km\/h they promise they will one day reach, but it represented a step forward.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe hyperloop might be the future of transportation for medium-length journeys. It could outcompete high-speed rail, and at the same time operate at speeds comparable to aviation, but at a fraction of its environmental and energy costs. It\u2019s a concept which start-ups and researchers have eagerly adopted, including several teams across Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOpen design\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea originated with the US entrepreneur Elon Musk, associated with companies like SpaceX and Tesla. After he mentioned it several times in public, a team of SpaceX and Tesla engineers released an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.tesla.com\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/blog_images\/hyperloop-alpha.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eopen concept\u003C\/a\u003E in 2013. This initial idea then spawned a range of companies and even student teams, trying to design their own versions. Among them were several students in the Spanish city of Valencia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We started in 2015 after Elon Musk\u0027s announcement, when we were still students\u2019, said Juan Vic\u00e9n Balaguer, co-founder and chief marketing officer of the hyperloop start-up \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/zeleros.com\/\u0022\u003EZeleros\u003C\/a\u003E, which today employs more than 50 people and raised around \u20ac10 million in funding. \u2018We\u0027ve been working on this technology for five years, and it can be a real alternative mode of transportation.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet the idea behind the hyperloop is older than Elon Musk, and it\u2019s similar to an earlier idea called a vactrain or vacuum tube train. A \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gutenberg.net.au\/ebooks06\/0606611h.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ecomparable concept was already proposed\u003C\/a\u003E by 19th century author Michel Verne, son of Jules, and has since then been periodically brought up by science-fiction writers and technologists. Now, however, the hyperloop seems to be getting ready for a breakthrough, and Zeleros is one of the concepts in the running.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022\u0027You need to remove the air from the front of the vehicle. If not, the craft would stop. Which is why we use a compressor system at the front of the vehicle\u0027, explained Juan Vic\u00e9n Balaguer, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Zeleros. Artist\u0027s impression - Zeleros hyperloop\u0022 height=\u0022553\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/7_zeleros_hyperloop_interiors_1_1.png\u0022 title=\u0022\u0027You need to remove the air from the front of the vehicle. If not, the craft would stop. Which is why we use a compressor system at the front of the vehicle\u0027, explained Juan Vic\u00e9n Balaguer, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Zeleros. Artist\u0027s impression - Zeleros hyperloop\u0022 width=\u0022983\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003E\u0027You need to remove the air from the front of the vehicle. If not, the craft would stop. Which is why we use a compressor system at the front of the vehicle\u0027, explained Juan Vic\u00e9n Balaguer, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Zeleros. Artist\u0027s impression - Zeleros hyperloop\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHigher-pressure tube\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat makes their technology unique is their approach to the tube. \u2018Each company uses a different level of pressure,\u2019 said Vic\u00e9n. \u2018Some are going for space pressure levels. Which means that the atmosphere in the tube is similar to space. It contains almost zero air.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis state would allow for very fast speeds, since the train would face almost no friction. Yet it comes with a range of practical issues. It\u2019s very difficult and expensive to achieve and maintain this level of pressure for long stretches of tube. Safety would also be an issue. if something happens to the hull of the train, passengers would be exposed to dangerous vacuum conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s why Zeleros is aiming for higher-pressure tubes. \u2018It would be similar to the pressure seen in aviation,\u2019 said Vic\u00e9n. The pressure in the tubes proposed by Zeleros would extend to around 100 millibars. This, in turn, allows them to copy safety systems from aircraft, such as the oxygen masks that drop from overhead cabins. This design choice also makes their tubes cheaper to build, thereby reducing infrastructure costs. Yet it also means their trains face more air friction when they glide through the tube, which they have to compensate for in other ways.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018You need to remove the air from the front of the vehicle,\u2019 said Vic\u00e9n. \u2018If not, the craft would stop. Which is why we use a compressor system at the front of the vehicle. If there was zero pressure, we wouldn\u0027t need this. But it\u0027s a balance between economics and efficiency.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the front of the train is a compressor, which looks like the front of an airliner engine and which sucks in air and lets it out at the rear, providing propulsion for the craft. A so-called linear motor is also located at key parts of the track, like the start, to give the train its initial propulsion. From there it self-propels along the track, with magnets at the top of the vehicle attracting it to the top of the tube and making it levitate. This proposed craft would carry between 50 and 200 passengers, and would reach up to 1000 km\/h.\u0026nbsp;By comparison, the cruising speed of a short-haul passenger aircraft is about 800 km\/h.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018Hyperloops face today\u0026#039;s greatest transportation demands: reduction of travel time and of environmental impact.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Mar\u00eda Luisa Mart\u00ednez Muneta, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain \u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOutcompete air\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut why do we need this in the first place? Shouldn\u2019t we just invest more in our regular, high-speed trains? It\u2019s more complicated than that, says Professor Mar\u00eda Luisa Mart\u00ednez Muneta from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain, where she coordinates the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/101015145\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EHYPERNEX\u003C\/a\u003E research project. HYPERNEX connects hyperloop start-ups, like Zeleros, with universities, railway companies and regulators, in order to accelerate the technology\u2019s development in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Hyperloops face today\u0027s greatest transportation demands: reduction of travel time and of environmental impact,\u2019 said Prof. Mart\u00ednez Muneta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause of its limited speed \u2013 generally around 300-350 km\/h \u2013 high-speed rail quickly becomes a bad choice for longer range travel if you want to get somewhere in a hurry. This gap is filled by short and medium-distance air travel, but aircraft emit a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/science-environment-49349566\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ehigh volume of emissions compared to trains\u003C\/a\u003E and are not always convenient, as airports can be located away from city centres.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA hyperloop could solve the problem. \u2018This mode of transport is focused on covering routes between 400 and 1500 kilometres,\u2019 said Prof. Mart\u00ednez Muneta. In this way a hyperloop would replace most shorter aeroplane travel, with much less of an environmental impact. \u2018The hyperloop produces zero direct emissions as it is 100% electrical, while achieving higher speeds and therefore shorter travel times,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022With a speed of 1000 km\/h, the hyperloop could be a greener and faster alternative to air travel. Image credit - Horizon\u0022 height=\u0022755\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/hyperloopgreyb-983.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022With a speed of 1000 km\/h, the hyperloop could be a greener and faster alternative to air travel. Image credit - Horizon\u0022 width=\u0022983\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EWith a speed of 1000 km\/h, the hyperloop could be a greener and faster alternative to air travel. Image credit - Horizon\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELabs and regulation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBringing this vision into reality will likely take a decade. Vic\u00e9n from Zeleros predicts that the first commercial passenger routes will come online around 2030, with hyperloops focused on cargo arriving a few years earlier, around 2025-2027.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne key issue in this timeframe is regulation. \u2018The European Union is the first region that has a committee that promotes regulation and standardisation of hyperloops,\u2019 said Vic\u00e9n, referring to the 2020 founding of a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cencenelec.eu\/news\/articles\/Pages\/AR-2020-003.aspx\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ejoint technical committee\u003C\/a\u003E on hyperloops by the European Committee for Standardization and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Zeleros, this is an important step if hyperloops want to become commercially viable. These craft would operate at hitherto unseen speeds, with new safety characteristics like airless tubes. This would in turn require new regulations and standardisations, for example on what to do if the capsule depressurised.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022The pressure in the tubes proposed by Zeleros would extend to around 100 millibars and allows to copy safety systems from aircraft, such as the oxygen masks that drop from overhead cabins. Artist\u0027s impression - Zeleros hyperloop\u0022 height=\u0022394\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/2_zeleros_hyperloop_vehicle_1_0_0_0.png\u0022 title=\u0022The pressure in the tubes proposed by Zeleros would extend to around 100 millibars and allows to copy safety systems from aircraft, such as the oxygen masks that drop from overhead cabins. Artist\u0027s impression - Zeleros hyperloop\u0022 width=\u0022700\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EThe pressure in the tubes proposed by Zeleros would extend to around 100 millibars and allows to copy safety systems from aircraft, such as the oxygen masks that drop from overhead cabins. Artist\u0027s impression - Zeleros hyperloop\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technology also remains somewhat untested, although real-world experiments are happening more often. Vic\u00e9n mentions how they have already tested their technology in computer simulations, where they can model things like aerodynamic conditions and electromagnetic dynamics. They also use so-called physical demonstrators or prototypes that test in laboratory conditions how magnetism is affected by high speeds, for example.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENevertheless, they are aching to move from the lab to the field. Right now, they are planning to build a 3-km test track at a still-to-be-determined location in Spain, where by 2023 they hope to demonstrate their technology, and they are working with the Port of Valencia to study the use of hyperloops in transporting freight.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHyperloops might still be a few years out, but we\u2019ll likely see more of them in the future.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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