As there is perpetual development in that ever-mysterious enterprise called science, so too do the means by which we get from A to B develop. We must find more sustainable and faster modes of transportation to make the quality of our life better. Hyperloop is one such conceived mode of transportation. The original idea was thought of by Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Inc. He planned a high-speed (760 miles per hour) pod travelling in a tube with a near-vacuum environment. He also suggested using air bearings, as used in air hockey, but with the planned source of air being the pod. The tube would be able to withstand most weather conditions, and all in all, it would be an energy-efficient transport system. Musk, thus, wrote the Hyperloop Genesis paper and various companies immediately started working on a feasible design.
Spearheading the construction of a possible hyperloop is the Virgin Group, who replaced Musk’s air bearings with passive magnetic levitation. Passive magnetic levitation is a method of propelling the pod using permanent magnets on the pod and shorted wire coils on the track which ensures that the pod stays levitating. This levitation is a product of magnetic repulsion. At fixed intervals, a current would be passed through the wire coil so as to accelerate the pod. This current supply need not be continuous or steady as the pod is dealing with neither friction nor air resistance which are the two rudimentary problems that conventional vehicles are hindered by. This makes the hyperloop an energy-efficient mode of transport.
In India, plans for a hyperloop pathway between Mumbai and Pune are in the air, effectively cutting down travel time from 4 hours to about 20 minutes. Virgin Hyperloop One recently tested a pod with two human passengers, wherein the pod achieved a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/ph). The test proved that hyperloop is a plausible method of transportation and could be an integral part of our lives in the near future.
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