Record broken for the longest Hyperloop trial
As part of the LIMITLESS project, scientists from EPFL, HEIG-VD and Swisspod have completed the longest-ever vacuum capsule journey in Europe's first operational Hyperloop test facility.
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, aims at creating a sustainable and efficient future transportation system based on light infrastructure. The consortium achieved a significant milestone, completing the full-scale equivalent of a 141.6 km hyperloop journey (11.8 km in reducedscale), and top speeds of up to 488.2 km/h (40.7 km/h in reduced scale) within a controlled low-pressure environment. Recently, the results were unveiled during the Hyperloop Day event at EPFL.
This record was conducted at the hyperloop testing facility located at EPFL. This cutting-edge structure, designed as a circular loop track supports the rapid prototyping and testing of different technologies required by the hyperloop. The infrastructure has a diameter of 40 centimeters and a circumference of 125.6 meters. It is a scaled-down version (1:12) of the hyperloop system described in the EPFL doctoral thesis of Denis Tudor, the CEO of Swisspod, allowing for a direct correlation between the test results and full-scale performance.
