Drivetrain Full Scale Prototype for the First Sustainable Hyperloop System in Switzerland.

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Full-scale development of the first electrical propulsion and levitation system of an energy-autonomous high speed rail-driven drivetrain expected to travel into a controlled environment. The solution would reduce the overall energy consumption of traditional trains to 10-50 Wh/km/passenger. Passengers transportation and mobility are currently seeing a wave of new technologies (at varying TRL levels) looking to facilitate an automated and carbon neutral transportation method. Among these, magnetic levitation, drones, IoT sensors, Linear Induction Motors, autonomous and hydrogen buses, electric and hydrogen-powered airplanes, VTOLs and electric ships are the most promising examples. Hyperloop not only emerges as an additional transportation method to complement the aforementioned options but the subsystems that composed the vehicles can be integrated into existing rail vehicle technologies and mobility services to increase efficiency, emissions, flexibility and adaptability of the current system.Swisspod is paving the way for a sustainable future increasingly but also reducing the overall carbon footprint of mobility and traditional railway transport, in accordance to 2050 Climate Strategy and the 2050 Energy Transition. The company’s commitment to sustainability is evident in the approach to hyperloop development since the early days of its foundation. By harnessing the power of vacuum-sealed tubes and energy-efficient propulsion systems, the company aims to revolutionize transportation while minimizing its environmental footprint. The proof of concept for this innovative mode of transportation is in place in Lausanne and while some MVP tests have been performed, incoming ones and pilot projects are planned by the company. In the world’s first infinite loop infrastructure for hyperloop testing at EPFL Campus in Lausanne, Swisspod has successfully performed the longest trial ever recorded with 11.8 km that is the equivalent of a 141.6 km journey at almost 500 km/h (average speed 350 km/h) for a full-scale system. Looking at the number of tests, very interesting data is coming from the testing facility, more than 55 tests have been run in open-air conditions and more than 25 in a vacuum environment for a total of 82 tests covering almost 112 km and over 1341 km for a full-scale system. The company developed a reduced-scale model of hyperloop system to ensure more efficiency, cut costs, streamline passenger transportation, speed up development and testing, all while gathering the insights needed to scale to larger systems.Swisspod is developing a national novel transportation technology, initially conceptualized by Swiss Professor Marcel Juffer in the 1970s at EPFL. Finally this is now achievable thanks to current technologies readiness level as well as to the IP assets and products developed by Swisspod. This will set a new standard for future projects, as well as accelerating the pace of progress within this emerging industry for Switzerland leveraging an open-innovation platform.In joining The New Mobility Innovation Booster, Swisspod team will benefit from academia, industry, and politics to further develop sustainable mobility solutions in Switzerland, further advancing in testing technologies and subcomponents, connecting with Swiss top-tier experts and potential industrial partners. These future tests will be relevant experiments for validating a series of theoretical assumptions Swisspod made, coming from academic research activities at EPFL, Haute École d'Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud (HEIG-VD), Haute Ecole Arc (HES-SO), Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL), SGMI Management Institut St. Gallen, regarding the feasibility and viability of the proposed first product.Acknowledging that testing subcomponents of a hyperloop system requires precise control and management of various factors, industrial partners are very important to co-develop together such innovative solutions as well as running tests to refine the MVP. Thanks to industrial and manufacturing collaborations, numerous experiments provided (in the past) and will keep providing (in the future) a more reliable and complex assessment of Swisspod vehicles, IP assets and system's reliability.In addition to that, these groundbreaking achievements align with Energy Strategy 2050 developed by the Swiss Federal Council and global efforts to combat climate change promoting sustainable mobility solutions, further fuelling excitement and support for Swisspod's endeavours. Thanks to current technologies and technical advancements, what was conceptualized by Swiss Professor Marcel Juffer in the 1970s and developed initially by Swissmetro SA in 1992, can now be finally tested and potentially implemented.

Project Idea Metadata

Project Idea Name: Drivetrain Full Scale Prototype for the First Sustainable Hyperloop System in Switzerland.
Date: 8/26/2024 12:13:07 PM
Administrators:

Project Idea Description

Passengers transportation and mobility are currently seeing a wave of new technologies (at varying TRL levels) looking to facilitate an automated and carbon neutral transportation method. Among these, magnetic levitation, drones, IoT sensors, Linear Induction Motors, autonomous and hydrogen buses, electric and hydrogen-powered airplanes, VTOLs and electric ships are the most promising examples. Hyperloop not only emerges as an additional transportation method to complement the aforementioned options but the subsystems that composed the vehicles can be integrated into existing rail vehicle technologies and mobility services to increase efficiency, emissions, flexibility and adaptability of the current system.

Swisspod is paving the way for a sustainable future increasingly but also reducing the overall carbon footprint of mobility and traditional railway transport, in accordance to 2050 Climate Strategy and the 2050 Energy Transition. The company’s commitment to sustainability is evident in the approach to hyperloop development since the early days of its foundation. By harnessing the power of vacuum-sealed tubes and energy-efficient propulsion systems, the company aims to revolutionize transportation while minimizing its environmental footprint. The proof of concept for this innovative mode of transportation is in place in Lausanne and while some MVP tests have been performed, incoming ones and pilot projects are planned by the company. In the world’s first infinite loop infrastructure for hyperloop testing at EPFL Campus in Lausanne, Swisspod has successfully performed the longest trial ever recorded with 11.8 km that is the equivalent of a 141.6 km journey at almost 500 km/h (average speed 350 km/h) for a full-scale system. Looking at the number of tests, very interesting data is coming from the testing facility, more than 55 tests have been run in open-air conditions and more than 25 in a vacuum environment for a total of 82 tests covering almost 112 km and over 1341 km for a full-scale system. The company developed a reduced-scale model of hyperloop system to ensure more efficiency, cut costs, streamline passenger transportation, speed up development and testing, all while gathering the insights needed to scale to larger systems.

Swisspod is developing a national novel transportation technology, initially conceptualized by Swiss Professor Marcel Juffer in the 1970s at EPFL. Finally this is now achievable thanks to current technologies readiness level as well as to the IP assets and products developed by Swisspod. This will set a new standard for future projects, as well as accelerating the pace of progress within this emerging industry for Switzerland leveraging an open-innovation platform.

In joining The New Mobility Innovation Booster, Swisspod team will benefit from academia, industry, and politics to further develop sustainable mobility solutions in Switzerland, further advancing in testing technologies and subcomponents, connecting with Swiss top-tier experts and potential industrial partners. These future tests will be relevant experiments for validating a series of theoretical assumptions Swisspod made, coming from academic research activities at EPFL, Haute École d'Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud (HEIG-VD), Haute Ecole Arc (HES-SO), Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL), SGMI Management Institut St. Gallen, regarding the feasibility and viability of the proposed first product.

Acknowledging that testing subcomponents of a hyperloop system requires precise control and management of various factors, industrial partners are very important to co-develop together such innovative solutions as well as running tests to refine the MVP. Thanks to industrial and manufacturing collaborations, numerous experiments provided (in the past) and will keep providing (in the future) a more reliable and complex assessment of Swisspod vehicles, IP assets and system's reliability.

In addition to that, these groundbreaking achievements align with Energy Strategy 2050 developed by the Swiss Federal Council and global efforts to combat climate change promoting sustainable mobility solutions, further fuelling excitement and support for Swisspod's endeavours. Thanks to current technologies and technical advancements, what was conceptualized by Swiss Professor Marcel Juffer in the 1970s and developed initially by Swissmetro SA in 1992, can now be finally tested and potentially implemented.