Dutch successfully test hyperloop at scale in Veendam

After years of much excitement about the ‘hyperloop’, a science-fiction way of transporting people and goods at speeds above 1,000 km in vacuum tubes connecting cities envisioned by Elon Musk, it remained deafening quiet.

However, Dutch Hardt Hyperloop, one of the pioneers, announced the first successful test of its hyperloop vehicle at the European Hyperloop Center (EHC) in Veendam. The scale model moved smoothly through the first 90 meters of the 420-meter-long test tube with a diameter of 2.5 meters at a 30 km/h speed, with an acceleration of 0.2 G.

Easily upscalable

That doesn’t sound thrilling at first. Still, according to Roel van de Pas, commercial director at Hardt Hyperloop, it allowed testing all aspects of magnetic traction technologies, brakes, and vibrations, and these measurements are easily upscalable to higher speeds. The following tests will be at ‘full speed’, close to 100 km/h, in the EHC with a lane-switch later this year.

Theoretically, a hyperloop would move pods with up to 28 passengers or freight at speeds up to 1,080 km/h through vacuum tubes, using magnetic levitation like existing maglev trains in Germany or China do today.

The hyperloop advocates claim it would be 75% faster than a high-speed train today and ten times faster than a regular train. It is also incredibly energy-efficient, using only 10% of the energy needed for roads and aviation and 50% less than rail.

Antwerp-Brussels in six minutes

A Belgium study ordered by Vlarem, the Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship agency, showed earlier in 2021 that investing in a hyperloop system, a link between Antwerp and Brussels in barely six minutes, would be possible, with extensions to Paris and Amsterdam. This way, those cities could be only 61 minutes apart.

However, apart from the enormous investments needed in a vacuum tube system linking European cities this way, there are some significant technical hurdles to overcome. The actual tubes would have a diameter of three to four meters and be mounted on pylons in the landscape or underground, which is a challenge in densely populated areas.

To cope with the generated heat, the tubes would need to be joined by some ‘harmonica’ system, for instance, which could cause them to stretch significantly over hundreds of meters. That is also tested in Veendam.

Changing lanes at high speed

Another big challenge is changing lanes at high speed. Dutch Technical University TUDelft students claimed the world’s first prototype of a hyperloop pod changing lanes at high speed in June of this year.

They built a 42-meter reduced-sized test track at the university campus for their Helios III pod. A key innovation is a functional lane switch, including a curved branch and a straight section for braking.

Cradle of Hardt Hyperloop

TU Delft is also today’s Hardt Hyperloop’s cradle. ‘Delft Hyperloop’ was founded in 2016 by TU Delft students as a non-profit organization dedicated to developing a climate-neutral, scalable hyperloop system after winning Elon Musk’s first SpaceX Hyperloop Competition for student teams, which ran from 2015 to 2019.

Musk’s idea was to have the students work out the concept without developing it further through one of his many companies himself. He somewhat recuperated the idea in the Boring Company, which developed a tunnel system to have electric (Tesla-) platforms move cars underground as a fast way to avoid traffic jams on the surface in densely populated cities like Los Angeles.

Several students started a commercial project called Hardt Hyperloop from this Delft Hyperloop non-profit organization. In 2019, Hardt showed Europe’s first fully operational hyperloop system in a 30-meter-long’ low-speed’ test tunnel in Delft.

Meanwhile, Hardt Hyperloop is a commercial enterprise with an open innovation center and testing facility in Veendam, Groningen. Here, (high-tech) companies, industry, and science collaborate to develop the Hyperloop.

Global interest?

Hardt claims, “The global interest in hyperloop technology is growing rapidly. Multiple initiatives for further development and implementation worldwide are popping up, among others in Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, India, and Saudi Arabia.”

“Additionally, the European Union has recognized hyperloop in its Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) policy, aiming to enhance connectivity between European Member States.”

Still, Hyperloop One, one of the most advanced projects in America, backed by Virgin boss Richard Branson, announced in December 2023 that it would shut down all activities due to several factors, including financial challenges, high interest rates, initial lack of support, and its failure to secure any contracts for building a working hyperloop system.