Its a trail of breadcrumbs and a lot of hype, but not always that much substance.
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Its worth stressing thathyperloop technology is forever changing as research evolves and the speed of innovation advances.
In 2019 HyperloopTT released The Great Lakes Hyperloop Feasibility Study, detailing their hyperloops economic and technical feasibility.
That project would not require any government subsidies.
The system is waiting for certification design review.
The hyperloop traveled 500 meters, reaching 172 kilometers per hour within 6.25 seconds.
Scorecard: I rank them 1st for hype and PR.
Theyre good at visuals and videos.
Not surprisingly, their focus is deliveries within Virgin Hyperloops planned routes.
Scorecard: Is it stealth or inactivity?
Hardt hyperloop (The Netherlands)
Dutch companyHardtwon the 2017hyperloop competition.
Theyve created a life-sizetwo-person pod prototypeto roll out at events to drum up interest.
Nevomo (Poland)
Formerly called Hyper Poland,Nevomois taking a different approach to others.
They are creating High-Speed Railways, to later transform into a vacuum version effectively an upgrade.
Nevomo has a three-step approach:
The company leased land in June to build a full-scale 750m test track.
From 2023, trains on Nevomo will be able to travel at a speed of 415 km per hour.
Scorecard: One to watch as the companys earlier stages are likely to fund the eventual hyperloop.
I suspect well be waiting a while, though.
Transpod (Canada)
Canadian companyTranspodhas created a tube system different to the traditional hyperloop concept.
The technology sits on the pod rather than on the infrastructure.
The company spent a chunk of time in 2020designing ventilatorsfor use by COVID-19 patients.
They plan to operate across Canada and have tested their sub-systems in simulations and laboratory prototypes.
The next step is physical tests on the entire integrated system.
Theres nothing wrong with that.
Like Nevomo, creating new tech within new tech takes a lot more work.
Walking between the New Exhibit Hall and North/Central Hall can take up to 15 minutes.
Using the tunnel takes only one minute even if itsnot that exciting.
Scorecard: Eh, theyre making tunnels.
So far, theres no hyperloop in sight, just dudes driving people in the tunnels in Teslas.
Theyll transition to AVs in the tunnels long before hyperloop, I suspect.
How close are we to a commercial hyperloop?
Dont hold your breath.
COVID-19 shutdowns pushed all of their earlier timelines back.
Further, companies need to maintain the full complement of engineers, developers, architects, and other personnel.
Getting hyperloop up to speed (literally and figuratively) will take some time.
I believe we will see cargo applications long before passenger journeys.
The former is likely to be a priority to comply with city sustainability and carbon reduction goals.
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Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
