A student team from TU Delft wants to break the world record for the highest speed of a hyperloop on a test track. The current record is 467 km/ph, but can they do it? We hope so!
On Monday, they showed the world their Atlas 02 capsule, which can accelerate faster than a Formula 1 car. The capsule can also brake four times as hard – so it’s pretty damn impressive. They will be taking themselves and their Atlas 02 to the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition (Elton Musk) in Los Angeles later on this summer and we’re all rooting for them to break the record. They aim to get it faster than 500km/h, they say.
According to omroepwest.nl, a further 21 teams, along with TU Delft has been selected and only 3 will go through to get to test their capsule along the one-kilometre tube. Last year they tried to win the competition, but due to a technical issue, it failed to gain speed and they came second place. However, they did win a hyperloop competition back in 2017, so they’ve got a chance.
Check out the unveiling of their capsule:
Not sure what a hyperloop is?
A hyperloop is a newly proposed method of transportation, first proposed by Tesla and Space X. It is a sealed system of tubes in which a pod may travel free of any air resistance or friction. This would allow for people and objects to travel at high speeds up to 1200 kilometres per hour and would be the fastest mode of transport to date. This futuristic concept of transportation is becoming more popular, and the world can’t wait to see how hyperloop will change the way we travel.
There have also been talks of a hyperloop from Delft to Paris.
The Dutch hyperloop also has a bicycle lane.