The world’s first full-scale Hyperloop capsule that has the potential to carry passengers at speeds of 700mph, has been unveiled in Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain.
The slick 105-foot long model called Quintero One, was revealed by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) at its facilities in Spain.
Quintero One is built almost completely out of HyperloopTT’s Vibranium, a specially made dual-layer smart composite material. It was built at the Southern Spain aerospace facilities of HyperloopTT’s partner Airtificial, a new company formed by the merger of composite expert Carbures and engineering company Inypsa that manufactures for many leading companies including Airbus and Boeing.
The company said passengers should see the hyperloop as an “airplane without wings”. It weighs 5 tonnes and can hold 30 to 40 passengers at a time. The exterior is made up of carbon fiber composites that Hyperloop TT claims will protect passengers if anything hits the capsule’s exterior.
The design for the capsule was created in collaboration with world renowned transport design consultancy PriestmanGoode and won the Gold award at the 2017 London Design Awards.
Quintero One measures 32 metres and weighs 5 tons. It has 72 sensors and will be delivered to HyperloopTT’s research and development centre in Toulouse, France for additional assembly and integration into the system, before it is used on one of the first commercial tracks, according to the company.
The idea for the transport system originated from Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk after he was stuck in traffic on the way to a technology conference in 2012. He then released the idea publicly, allowing businesses to attempt to build the technology.
“Working together with engineers from HyperloopTT, we are proud to be pushing the envelope of smart materials in transportation and manufacturing,” said Airtificial Co-Founder and Chairman, Rafael Contreras.“Today we have unveiled a new type of transportation vessel built with an industry high percentage of composite, which makes the Hyperloop capsule perhaps the safest transportation vehicle in the world.”
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“The creation of this capsule represents over a year long journey of the best expertise in design, engineering, and the development of cutting edge materials,” said Dirk Ahlborn HyperloopTT co-founder and CEO. “In just five years we have solved and improved upon all of the technology needed for Hyperloop with our new levitation system, vacuum pumps, batteries, and smart composites. This capsule will be a part of one of the most efficient transportation systems ever made.”
“In 2019, this capsule will be fully optimised and ready for passengers,” said Bibop Gresta, chairman and co-founder of HyperloopTT. “Since we have taken major steps in solving government regulations with our safety certification guidelines and insurance frameworks, we are now closer than ever to bringing Hyperloop to the world.”
HyperloopTT is aiming to have Quintero One on commercial tracks in China and Abu Dhabi in the years to come.
Just last month, architects and engineers unveiled their grand vision of a Hyperloop transport system that could one day connect Amsterdam to Frankfurt. The proposed route will stretch 280 miles (450km) from Schiphol Airport to the German city, allowing people to travel between the two in just 50 minutes. This compares to the four hours it currently takes by train.
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