After a year-long search for the most promising Hyperloop routes, the firm looking to bring Elon Musk’s radical idea to life has finally announced the winners.
Among thousands of applicants, Hyperloop One has chosen 10 routes in four countries including the US, Mexico, India, Canada, and the UK – in total, they’d cross 53 urban centers and span a total of 4,121 miles, connecting almost 150 million people.
The firm plans to have three of the routes up and running in a commercial capacity by 2021.
Among thousands of applicants, 10 routes have been chosen in four countries including the US, Mexico, India, Canada, and the UK – in total, they’d cross 53 urban centers and span a total of 4,121 miles, connecting almost 150 million people
‘I’d like to congratulate all the winners and finalists of the Global Challenge, along with the thousands of people and companies that put so much effort into thinking about how Hyperloop can change the world,’ Rob Lloyd, Hyperloop One CEO, said in a blog post.
In the US, the winning routes include Dallas – Houston (640 miles), Miami – Orlando (257 miles), Chicago – Columbus – Pittsburgh (488 miles), and Cheyenne – Denver – Puelbo (360 miles).
The UK was determined to have two of the best routes as well, with stops in England and Scotland.
The routes are Edinburgh – London (414 miles) and Glasgow – Liverpool (339 miles).
Two routes were chosen in India as well, including Bengaluru – Chennai (208 miles) and the longest proposed route, Mumbai – Chennai (685 miles).
In Canada, Toronto – Montreal (400 miles) was chosen, and in Mexico, Mexico City – Guadalajara (330 miles) was selected.
Four winning routes are in the US, including a 488-mile Chicago – Columbus – Pittsburgh line (pictured)
A 257-mile route between the Miami and Orlando airports would connect Florida
Among the finalists that ultimately didn’t make the cut were several other countries and international routes, including Australia, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, Estonia/Finland, Spain/Morocco, and Corsica/Sardinia.
‘X Prize challenges set audacious goals to spur significant leaps in space exploration, medicine, energy, and computing,’ Lloyd said, pointing to how the firm ‘took a page’ from the successful XPRIZE Global Challenge in 2016.
‘The idea is to cast the widest net possible to break bottlenecks in markets where incumbents have failed to solve hard problems.’
‘Our take on it was to challenge teams young or old, expert or amateur, to submit their best proposals for Hyperloop networks connecting cities and regions.’
WHAT IS HYPERLOOP?
Hyperloop is a proposed method of travel that would transport people at roughly 700mph between distant locations.
It was unveiled by Elon Musk in 2013, who at the time said it could take passengers the 380 miles (610km) from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes – half the time it takes a plane.
It is essentially a long tube that has had the air removed to create a vacuum.
The tube is suspended off the ground to protect against weather and earthquakes.
As several firms vie to create the first operational Hyperloop, Elon Musk’s vision of a radical transport system that could ferry passengers above land at 760 miles per hour continues to inch closer to reality
After more than 2,600 teams registered for the competition, Hyperloop one narrowed it down to 35 contestants by January 2017.
The next round consisted held standing-room-only events for the contenders in New Delhi, Washington, D.C., and Amsterdam where the 35 finalists and semi-finalists showcased their work to leaders from government, industry, and universities.
Each team then underwent hours of judging, interviews, and analysis by business strategy teams and engineers that assessed the involved infrastructure, technology, regulatory environment, and transportation concerns.
In Canada, a Montreal-Toronto route would also stop in Ottawa and span 400 miles
Another winning route spans 480 miles from Dallas to Houston (with a few other stops along the way)
The international panel of judges included: Peter Diamandis (CEO and chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation); Bassam Mansour (an International Railway Industry advisor); Ulla Tapaninen (who has over 25 years of experience in logistics and transport research); Clive Burrows (the Group Engineering Director for FirstGroup); and Alan Berger (a professor of landscape architecture and urban design at MIT).
‘These teams all have well-defined routes and implementation strategies, strong support from public and private stakeholders, compelling business cases, and represent the most innovative and creative applications of Hyperloop One technology,’ Lloyd said.
Each will receive support and resources from Hyperloop One to move forward with the projects.
The next steps for the teams will be to work with the firms on more in-depth analysis and establish details like the anticipated ridership to build out the business plan.
The firm plans to have three of the routes up and running in a commercial capacity by 2021
Hyperloop One is creating an open platform to bring together the winning teams, governments, and industry partners and plans to host the first Hyperloop One Global Summit at a yet-to-be-determined location.
The firm also plans to continue working with the finalists.
So far, the results and project in general have been championed by transportation officials.
‘Across the world, there is a hunger for new solutions to old problems – Nowhere is that sentiment stronger than in the bold ideas taking root in transportation,’ Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, who spoke at the Washington D.C. event, wrote in an email congratulating the winners.
‘The Hyperloop One Global Challenge has internationalized one of the boldest new concepts in the field, and I congratulate the successful teams.’
A Cheyenne – Denver – Puelbo route spanning 360 miles would have some of the most stops
The showcase at the Hyperloop One Global Challenge Vision For America event in Washington, D.C., April 6, 2017
As a direct result of the challenge, the firm has also secured its first agreement with a U.S. state government.
The firm (with the support of AECOM) will enter into a public-private partnership with Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to do a feasibility study in the state.
One of the winning routes (Cheyenne – Denver – Puelbo) passes through the state.
‘We are excited to partner with Hyperloop One in exploring the next step of the feasibility of this innovative technology, potentially transforming how Colorado moves,’ CDOT Executive Director Shailen Bhatt said.
‘The Hyperloop technology, in general, could directly align with our goals of improving mobility and safety in Colorado, and we have been encouraged by the continued progress the technology is taking.’
At the Amsterdam event, Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment Melanie Schultz van Haegen also praised the project, saying: ‘We need new concepts to keep the Netherlands moving.’
‘Concepts which will add new modes of travel on top of the existing infrastructure.’
‘Hyperloop can be the game changer. Fast, quiet, innovative and sustainable.’
‘I’d like to congratulate all the winners and finalists of the Global Challenge, along with the thousands of people and companies that put so much effort into thinking about how Hyperloop can change the world,’ Rob Lloyd, Hyperloop One CEO, said in a blog post
Amitabh Kant, the CEO of Niti Ayog, India’s agency responsible for transforming the nation’s economy, also spoke to the project at the India event prior to the country’s double win.
‘The key to India’s growth at a rapid pace is how we transform the process of urbanization,’ he said.
‘Without disruption, it is not possible – What the Hyperloop presents is a transformational technology which will enable many countries to leapfrog.’
In the Hyperloop One blog post on the winners, Lloyd said India ‘had some of the most ambitious entries.’
Not included in the list is the route Musk already seems to be working on himself.
In July, Musk tweeted he had ‘verbal government approval’ to build an underground tunnel to transport passengers between New York and Washington DC in just 29 minutes.
An animation of what a passenger’s experience in one of these pods might be reveals it could have augmented windows that show a ‘realistic perspective’ of the world outside. The futuristic capsule will fit 28-40 passengers at a time
Now, it appears he plans to build the whole system himself, according to Bloomberg – Last month, Musk further announced the plan in a bid to speed up adoption of the radical travel technology he invented.
A ‘person close to Musk’ has confirmed the plan.
Musk also hinted at it, replying to a tweet about the issues facing the various Hyperloop plans by saying ‘I guess a proof of concept is needed.’
Many had thought Musk would simply create the tunnels, using his recently revealed Boring Company.
It’s a major change for Musk.
When he first revealed the plan in a white paper developed with his team at SpaceX, in 2012, he said he would let others build the system.
Musk tweeted the tunnel will run via Philadelphia snd Baltimore, and use his Hyperloop technology
Elon Musk says he has ‘verbal government approval’ to build an underground tunnel to transport passengers between New York and Washington DC in just 29 minutes
‘I don’t have any plan to execute because I must remain focused on SpaceX and Tesla,’ he said in a conference call at the time.
‘While we’re encouraged that others are making some progress, we would like to accelerate the development of this technology as fast as possible,’ Musk’s Boring Co., a venture created to build roads that run through underground tunnels, said in a statement.
‘We encourage and support all companies that wish to build Hyperloops and we don’t intend to stop them from using the Hyperloop name as long as they are truthful.’
One of the leading developers has been Hyperloop One.
Its chairman, Shervin Pishevar, told Bloomberg News he welcomed the news.
‘It’s going to take many, many brilliant minds and commitment from many people to push it forward,’ Pishevar said on Bloomberg TV.
‘I’m a huge believer in him.’