Swissloop is a student-led initiative with the goal of contributing to the research on and advancement of the Hyperloop technology and its application in the real world. To do our part in shaping this new mode of transportation, our team designs and builds operational prototypes of transport capsules — so-called “pods” — with which we compete in international competitions and take part in conferences. In partaking in this event, we aim to not just add to the further development of this technology, but also collect valuable practical experience in the technical and operational aspects of the project. In addition, we want to help raise public awareness of the Hyperloop concept it’s, and its implications for our everyday life and its impact on the future of transportation and mobility technology. 

What is the Hyperloop Concept?

The concept of travelling through tubes with hardly any air in it, thus reducing the aerodynamic drag and enabling travel at high speeds, has been around since the early 19th century. Today, the Hyperloop concept usually refers to a well-known white paper published in 2013 by Elon Musk in collaboration with a joint team from Tesla and SpaceX. Said paper suggests that transport “pods” gradually accelerate using a linear electric motor and glide above their track on air bearings through near-evacuated tubes below or above the ground. This should allow the pods to travel at speeds of up to 1’200km/h, whilst being more energy-efficient, quiet and autonomous than other modes of transportation. Thus, the Hyperloop concept has the potential of optimizing long-distance travel by combining the efficacy of modern-day railway systems with the speed of air travel. Read the Hyperloop Alpha White Paper yourself to learn more!

The European Hyperloop Week is an annual international event dedicated to the ‘transport of the future’, the Hyperloop. This event enables university students, guest speakers, companies and Hyperloop enthusiasts to discuss the technology, feasibility and scalability of the Hyperloop. During this week, university Hyperloop teams present their prototype components and full pods to a technical jury and compete in several categories (ex. electrical, mechanical, propulsion). In addition, guest speakers and companies from the most advanced Hyperloop companies share information about the technology, their implementation strategy and their technological progress so far. By reuniting all the important Hyperloop players in one location, EHW seeks to encourage innovation and technological development so that Hyperloop becomes the fifth means of transport.

The International Hyperloop Pod Competition aimed to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the Hyperloop concept, accelerate the development of functional prototypes and encourage creative solutions and technological innovation. Student teams around the world were challenged to design and build a functioning transportation capsule – a so-called pod – capable of travelling at high speed in a near-evacuated tube. The pods were judged solely on one criterion: maximum speed with successful deceleration. The first Hyperloop Pod Design Competition was announced by Elon Musk in 2015 and took place in January 2017. SpaceX has built a 1-mile-long, sub-scale test track on which the pods can compete near their headquarters in California for the event. In August 2017, July 2018 and July 2019 three more competitions followed.