The Hyperloop test track tube with its transport cabin is open to the public before the opening begins. The new Hyperloop test track at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) features a 24-meter-long concrete vacuum tube and a full-size passenger vehicle – it is the first in Europe to be fully certified for l passenger operation, according to TUM.
Peter Kneffel | Alliance in pictures | Getty Images
MUNICH — Hyperloop, a mega-rapid transport system imagined in 2013 by You’re here and founder of SpaceX Elon Muskwas supposed to be a reality now.
But it didn’t really happen that way.
There has been so much hype, with several companies claiming years ago that we would have a large-scale system. hyperloop system now. It just didn’t happen. Many believe the hyperloop concept will eventually challenge other forms of transportation, including airplanes, by moving people and goods in tubes at speeds approaching 700 miles per hour.
The dream of a hyperloop is not over yet.
“I’ve been working on this for seven years now, we wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t believe in it. I mean, I think a lot of the hype, when it came out, was really optimistic, like, “In two years, in three years, I don’t know. But it’s, I mean, it’s a timeline that you can use if you’re building software, maybe, but not if you’re building infrastructure.” Gabriele Semino, project manager at TUM Hyperloop, told CNBC in an interview.
“Obviously, for this type of completely new system, you have to… develop it.”
Since its inception, several companies have rushed to develop their own versions of the hyperloop. TUM Hyperloop is the brainchild of the Technical University of Munich. The company is currently developing the technology.
At the IAA motor show in Munich this month, TUM Hyperloop presented the module in which passengers could sit. The company built a tube approximately 24 meters long. Although it is a short distance, TUM Hyperloop is attempting to test how the system works before continuing to build a long track.
Semino said he expects that by the end of this decade the technology will be ready. This would mean short lanes with a hyperloop running at full speed and carrying passengers. By the end of the next decade, hyperloop technology will make it possible to build longer tracks across continents, Semino said.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) and Elon Musk’s Boring Company are also exploring this technology.
Europe, technology leader
Hyperloop technology has the potential to solve many problems. It would be a green and ultra-fast mode of transport. It could also reduce the need to fly or drive in countries like the United States or continental Europe.
Semino said this could ease the burden on traditional train lines which could then be used to transport goods.
“This is not wishful thinking. There is a need for new and better infrastructure right now,” Semino said.
He said that while regions like the Middle East and China would be candidates for the technology, Europe would likely be among the first regions to benefit from the technology.
“I think right now, for Hyperloop in particular, the region that’s making the most progress is Europe,” Semino said.
The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, is currently studying the possibility of establishing a framework for hyperloop technology.
“From a government framework perspective, Europe is the most interesting one right now,” Semino said.
