In just 17 minutes .. a hyperloop to transport passengers from Geneva to Zurich

A Swiss start-up has revealed its intention to build a hyperloop system that can carry passengers at speeds of up to 1,200 kilometers per hour under the Alps.

According to what was published by the British “Daily Mail”, Swisspod plans to create a hyperloop system capable of transporting passengers and goods from Geneva to Zurich in just 17 minutes or from New York to Washington, DC in just 30 minutes, This equates to nine the equivalent of the train journey time in Switzerland and seven the flight time in the United States, which will use environmentally friendly energy sources compared to the flights.

Concept proposed since 1910

According to Dennis Tudor, CEO and co-founder of the Swiss company, the hyperloop service should be up and running within four to five years.

The Hyperloop is a high-speed transportation system concept first proposed by American engineer Robert Goddard in 1910, then received renewed attention in 2013 when Elon Musk, billionaire and founder of Tesla and SpaceX , has shown, an incorporation of low pressure Airless connecting two stations.

Inside this tube are passenger capsules which propel themselves at high speed on a pressurized airbag and do not rub against the walls of the tube thanks to a magnetic field generated by an electric motor which draws its energy from solar energy. .

linear induction motor

But the Swisspod project is unique in that it relies on a linear induction motor inside high-speed autonomous ships. Linear induction motors produce direct motion in a straight line, unlike the rotational motion of the wheels.

Other hyperloop projects are based on the Maglev system, which includes two sets of magnets, one of which pushes the train back and pushes it out of the track, while the other pushes the elevated train forward, taking advantage of the lack of friction, which save power consumption.

Improved design and performance

Mario Paulon, Head of the Distributed Electrical Systems Laboratory at EPFL, said: “Through a miniature test track, the fundamental aspects of the electromagnetic propulsion system will be studied and the results will be used to improve the design and operate more effectively.