You might have heard peopletalking about hyperloop technology.
Most likely, theyre wondering why they are still talking about it and when/if it will arrive.
Where has hyperloop tech come from?
Its not a new idea.
The idea of pressurized tubes has been further refined and developed in various iterations.
The most commercially successful example is maglev trains in the 1960s.
We are yet to see a convergence towards certain technologies or parameters.
How does hyperloop technology work?
The tube is a low-pressure environment that enables high speed for low energy consumption.
The engineers can build tubes above or below ground.
The aim is to have pods departing their destination in high rotation with low passenger wait times.
Why do we need a hyperloop?
Intercity and international travel are at capacity.
There arent enough bus drivers.
Hyperloop promises to fill in that gap and deliver speed and sustainability to transport people and cargo alike.
What are the advantages of hyperloop tech?
This is 3x faster than high-speed rail and more than 10x faster than traditional rail.
Imagine a trip fromSan Francisco to Los Angeles in 30 minutes a distance of around 559 km.
Its as fast as a train but cheaper than conventional high-speed rail.
Lower carbon emissions
The hyperloop offers low-energy long-distance travel, running on electricity and solar energy.
Solar panels on the roof of above-ground hyperloops could generate energy.
The tubes could also store electricity with the help of batteries.
Further, freight traveling by hyperloop would alleviate the high carbon emissions of trucks.
Weatherproof
The hyperloop is less vulnerable to bad weather such asrain, snow, wind, andearthquakes.
Theres no risk of train tracks buckling due to the heat in summer as with high-speed rail.
Less invasive
Its easier to add layers of tunnels than a lane to a road.
City planners can create designs to combine access to flying taxis, autonomous vehicles and hyperloops.
Hyperloop criticism: What are the disadvantages of hyperloop technology?
For example, seals are paramount to the pod hatches and doors.
Land acquisition is a significant challenge.
However, those figures include costs of land acquisition but exclude train sets.
Hyperloop Safety
Safety is critical.
The report recommends a system where mist and fire suppressants release automatically when it detects smoke.
Communication system challengesHow do you communicate within and to a hyperloop pod?
The steel tube prevents wireless signals from reaching the pod.
However, cybersecurityis a significant threat to the hyperloop.
The use of optical fibers could prevent hackers from physically intercepting communication signals.
Emergency evacuationEvacuating a hyperloop is difficult as the tubes are designed to have a limited number of exits.
The goal of evacuation is to enable passengers to exit the hyperloop safely.
Two ideas are posited:
Or a combined evacuation that joins internal safe havens and in-tube evacuations together.
SecurityHyperloop technology makersanticipate pods that depart every30 secondsto two minutes.
Frequent departure pods require constant passenger flow.
This makes strict passenger and baggage screening difficult.
For hyperloop to succeed, it requires a willing public.
There are huge practical and psychological challenges before hyperloops becomes mainstream.
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Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
