Hyperloop’s second wind: How engineers worldwide are resurrecting Musk’s dream

Over 10 years have passed since Elon Musk introduced his renowned whitepaper for a subterranean transport system using magnetic fields to rapidly move passengers between New York and Washington, DC in just half an hour. Despite the initial excitement, the Hyperloop concept remains far from becoming a reality.

In the intervening years, Musk launched and later discontinued Hyperloop Pod competitions, while Richard Branson briefly ventured into the field before swiftly exiting. Enthusiasts of this high-speed transit concept may now view the once-promising hype as an unfulfilled dream.

Despite setbacks, efforts to turn this vision into reality have persisted.

Just last week, Hardt Hyperloop announced that it had successfully used magnetic levitation to lift a pod and glide it nearly 300 feet at 18 miles (~29 km) an hour. Although, at this rate, it would take more than 12 hours to reach DC from New York, Hardt also added it planned to quadruple its pace by the end of the year.

EHC: Working together

Hardt isn’t working alone. Based in the Netherlands, the company is close to and part of the European Hyperloop Center (EHC), a Hyperloop development program financially supported by public institutions such as the European Commission, the Dutch Government, the Province of Groningen, and a host of private companies.

The EHC is home to a 1,377-foot (420 m) long track that can test hyperloop technologies. The track’s pipe installation was completed in November last year, and the facility opened for the first test in March 2024.

A unique feature of the EHC’s test track is a lane switch that can be used to test hyperloop technologies at speeds of up to 62 miles (100 km) an hour.

“Without a lane-switch, hyperloop would only allow for one-to-one point connections,” said Sasha Lamme, managing director at the EHC, in an email to Interesting Engineering . At EHC, this feature is fondly called The Split.

“In the setup of the EHC, the split works with zero moving components in the infrastructure,” added Lamme. “Incorporating it presented several challenges, such as structural engineering complexities to overcome forces due to the vacuum environment inside the tube, and manufacturing challenges to ensure alignment of the different tube segments.”

However, the team worked to ensure it was incorporated since it makes hyperloop technology scalable.

Besides the track, the facility hosts hyperloop prototype infrastructure, including a nearly 100-foot (30-meter) long pipe containing essential elements and a mockup vehicle.

This can be used for building hyperloop infrastructure quickly, safely, and inexpensively while also testing how user experience using a combination of hardware and virtual reality (VR) technology before an operational hyperloop is even built.

But EHC’s ambitions continue beyond there. “The EHC is set to demonstrate all essential hyperloop technologies, including electric propulsion systems, magnetic levitation technologies, improved communication, control and command systems, vacuum technologies, and much more,” added Lamme.

“The EHC will serve as a hub for ongoing research and development, fostering collaboration and improvements in hyperloop technology.”

World’s longest hyperloop track

A few hundred miles from EHC’s testing facility, a Swiss company believes that Hyperloop can be a reality by the decade’s end. To demonstrate its technological feasibility, Swisspod is building what it calls the ‘world’s longest hyperloop track,’ with a diameter of 131 feet (40 m).

“Unlike traditional straight-line hyperloop tracks, ours has a circular design, forming a closed loop,” said Denis Tudor, CEO of Swisspod, in an email to IE. “This configuration allows us to simulate an infinite hyperloop test track experience, eliminating inherent length limitations.”

The company has chosen a clever approach by constructing the longest track. However, in terms of its Hyperloop technology, it’s opting for a more time-consuming path of innovation. Instead of using the linear synchronous motors (LSM) that conventional MagLev trains deploy, SwissPod’s propulsion system uses linear induction motor (LIM) technology.

“In this setup, the Primary component, housed onboard the capsule and powered by batteries, generates a moving magnetic field. This field induces currents in the passive Secondary component of the guideway, creating thrust that propels the capsule forward,” explained Tudor.

“The passive infrastructure eliminates the need for electrification along the entire track, reducing complexity and cost while maintaining high propulsion efficiency at high speeds,” the SwissPod CEO added.

The test track built in Switzerland will soon be dwarfed by a larger facility the company is building in Colorado, US. “We already performed a series of open-air experiments here and are currently engaged in preliminary experiments within low-pressure conditions, laying the groundwork for the forthcoming extensive hyperloop test,” Tudor elaborated on the company’s upcoming test plans.

China’s push for hyperloop

Europe isn’t the only region where companies have been captivated by the Hyperloop concept. Last year, China announced its plans to start a hyperloop-like train service between Shanghai and Hangzhou by 2035.

The two cities are 108 miles (175 km) apart and can be reached within an hour through high-speed rails. However, the Chinese government is keen on reducing the travel time to minutes and is looking to deploy hyperloop technology .

Earlier this year, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) announced that its maglev train traveling in a low-vacuum tube on a 1.2-mile (two-kilometer) long test line had reached speeds of 387 miles (623 km) an hour.

A South China Morning Post (SCMP) report in August confirmed that China is also working on a superconducting maglev train that will eventually reach 623 miles (1,000 km) an hour, at par with the maximum speeds of modern airplanes.

However, China has more than just ambitious plans for hyperloop designs.

India aims for hyperloop

In 2017, students from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), a premier technological university in India, set up Avishkar Hyperloop to participate in ongoing global hyperloop competitions.

The passion for Hyperloop translated into a startup called TuTr Hyperloop, which wants to revolutionize travel in the country by offering high-speed transport with safety and sustainability. Initially, the company plans to focus on cargo movement and debottleneck critical choke points.

“TuTr Hyperloop is collaborating to create tailored solutions for ports, mining industries, and logistics service providers. By addressing sector-specific challenges, we aim to improve efficiency and sustainability in goods transportation,” Aravind Bharadwaj, Co-founder at Tutr Hyperloop, told IE via email.

“We have adopted a modularization approach for the development of the three critical hyperloop technologies, namely, Linear Propulsion, Magnetic Levitation, and Vacuum Tube technology. We will select the right tech stack to build solutions for each economic case.” Indian Railways, the national train service provider, supports the initiative and has plans to create five inter-city hyperloop corridors by 2047.

Tutr Hyperloop is set to test its pod, Garuda, at the ~1,400 feet (422 m) long test track facility at IIT-M’s campus. “This facility will enable us to rigorously evaluate the levitation, propulsion, communication, and electrical subsystems of the Garuda POD, all crucial for our hyperloop system’s reliability, efficiency, and safety,” Bharadwaj added.

The company is aware of local challenges in implementing radically new technology. It uses a frugal innovation approach to create intellectual property that allows affordable and accessible transportation options for the masses.

Tutr’s list of collaborators includes global players like Larsen & Toubro, Tata Steel, Dassault Systemes, Ansys, and Hexagon, but it also has tie-ups with Swisspod and Hardt Hyperloop.

“By leveraging our deep understanding of local dynamics and infrastructure requirements, we aim to pioneer hyperloop solutions that seamlessly integrate into the fabric of Indian transportation systems,” Bharadwaj explained the company’s approach.

What’s stopping Hyperloop in the US?

With companies worldwide still working on making the Hyperloop a reality, the question is why the US isn’t part of the race either.

Branson-led Virgin Hyperloop rebranded itself as Hyperloop One after the billionaire’s exit but could not find a feasible way to run itself. A Fortune March report said that Hyperloop TT , which had plans to demonstrate its technology in Italy, is running out of cash and unable to pay its employees.

Other ventures, like CMU Hyperloop, have shut down operations after achieving blazing success in Musk’s hyperloop pod competitions. Musk hasn’t invested in transforming his whitepaper into a pilot project in the past decade.

However, the SwissPod CEO does not believe that Musk needs to do it either. “His initial efforts in popularizing the hyperloop concept through the 2013 paper and supporting its development via the Hyperloop Pod Competitions have ignited a global wave of innovation. We, along with many others, are inspired by his vision and are diligently working to bring hyperloop technology to life.”

So, it is not the vision that is lacking. Then, what’s holding hyperloop plans back in the US?

The evolving hyperloop landscape

The global race to realize Hyperloop technology continues, with significant progress in Europe, China, and India, despite slowing momentum in the US.

Recent achievements like Hardt Hyperloop’s levitation test and Swisspod’s circular track design show the concept’s enduring appeal. However, regulatory and implementation challenges persist.

Different regions are employing diverse strategies, from government-backed initiatives to collaborative ecosystems and frugal innovation.

While Musk’s original vision remains distant, ongoing global efforts suggest some form of Hyperloop could become reality in the coming decades, potentially transforming long-distance travel and logistics. The dream that began with a whitepaper continues to evolve through persistent innovation worldwide.

“China’s centralized planning and rapid infrastructure development capabilities facilitate fast implementation of large-scale projects like hyperloop,” Lamme told IE.

“Europe benefits from strong governmental- and policy support for hyperloop, and a collective commitment from multiple hyperloop technology companies and large corporations to foster the development and realization of hyperloop.”

“Additionally, Europe benefits from cohesive regulatory frameworks and standardization programs, which are essential for a public transport system,” concluded Lamme.