Record set at EPFL hyperloop test facility

The test run took place as part of the LIMITLESS (Linear Induction Motor Drive for Traction and Levitation in Sustainable Hyperloop Systems) project, carried out by EPFL, the School of Business and Engineering Vaud (HEIG-VD) and Swisspod Technologies.

The consortium said it completed the full-scale equivalent of a 141.6km hyperloop journey (11.8km at reduced scale), and top speeds of up to 488.2km/h (40.7km/h at reduced scale) within a controlled low-pressure environment. The results were unveiled during the Hyperloop Day event at EPFL.

This record was conducted at EPFL’s hyperloop testing facility, which is designed as a circular loop track and supports the rapid prototyping and testing of different technologies required by the hyperloop.

The infrastructure, with a diameter of 40cm and a circumference of 125.6m, is a scaled-down version (1:12) of the hyperloop system described in the EPFL doctoral thesis of Denis Tudor, the CEO of Swisspod. According to EPFL, this allows for a direct correlation between the test results and full-scale performance.

The success of the experiment could have ‘significant implications’ for the high-speed transportation sector, as it demonstrated the key principles of hyperloop technology and its viability for the future of sustainable and fast travel. Composed of two main elements, a fully electric vehicle, and a low-pressure tube infrastructure, it is claimed hyperloop has the potential to disrupt intra-continental travel in a sustainable manner. 

The scientists said they rely on a passive infrastructure that results ‘in increased efficiency and reduced implementation costs’, allowing them to focus on developing a novel Linear Induction Motor (LIM), a key part of the hyperloop propulsion system that is designed to deliver improved performance at high speeds. (DESL).

“The LIMITLESS project provides an understanding of several fundamental aspects related to the high-speed electromagnetic propulsion of hyperloop capsules. By leveraging this knowledge, we were able to integrate levitation and propulsion functionalities into a single motor with very high energy conversion efficiency,” Mario Paolone, professor at EPFL's Distributed Electrical Systems Laboratory (DESL), said in a statement.

Future tests at the EPFL facility aim to further validate more efficient versions of LIM-based hyperloop propulsion and levitation as well as explore the system's real-world capabilities, limitations, and prospects, while offering data for accelerating the path to commercialisation.

“Putting our years of technological innovation to the test is a critical step in pushing the development and deployment of efficient hyperloop technologies worldwide,” said Tudor. “We'll soon begin testing our first hyperloop freight transportation product at the larger-scale facility we're building in the US. This is a key step toward making hyperloop for passengers a reality and changing how we connect, work, and live.”