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Hyperloop, Transportation of the Future?

Can you imagine travelling from London to Edinburgh in 35 minutes, reducing the average flight time by around 45 mins and rail travel time by 3.5 hours? Well, that it is what Elon Musk’s Hyperloop transportation network promises. RS Components are thrilled to be supporting HypED, the University of Edinburgh team, which is one of the 24 global teams that are working to turn this fantastic concept into a reality.

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RS Components are supporting the University of Edinburgh’s team, known as HypED, in their efforts to design and build a fully functional ½ scale prototype Hyperloop transportation pod. The team are already down to the final stages in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, organised by leading aerospace manufacturer SpaceX. The competition will take place at the company’s headquarters in California in late August 2017 where competitors pods will race down a purpose built one mile long and six-foot wide tube.

HypED is 1 of 24 technical teams worldwide, one of only four from Europe, who are competing as finalists in the competition. RS Components is supporting HypED in the building of the prototype pod with the supply of key components including semiconductors, batteries, switches, heatsinks, cables, connectors and a variety of mechanical parts.

What is Hyperloop?

Hyperloop is a new concept in transportation, it uses electric propulsion to accelerate a pod through a low-pressure tube, transporting people and goods quickly and safely across distances of up to 900 miles at speeds touching the speed of sound. Failsafe, environmentally friendly and very quiet, Hyperloop has the potential to revolutionise transportation, potentially displacing high-speed rail and short-haul flights. Hyperloop is the brainchild of Elon Reeve Musk, the world-renowned inventor, engineer and entrepreneur.

Team HypED

The HypED technical team comprises of more than 50 students from a wide range of backgrounds and expertise with degrees gained at the University of Edinburgh. The team was formed in 2015 to enter the SpaceX Hyperloop Design Weekend competition in Texas in January 2016, where they won the Subsystem Excellence Technical Award. In this latest competition, HypED will consist of three teams; Team one - Static Elements, who will take care of the chassis, shell and aerodynamics. Team two, Dynamic Elements, dealing with levitation, propulsion and braking, they will also build the key elements of the prototype pod, and the final team, Smart Elements, who will deal with batteries, control electronics and software.

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The University of Edinburgh’s team HypED

The Competition

The HypED team has also been successful in a secondary competition, called Hyperloop One Global Challenge, making it through to one of 35 semi-finalists from 2600 entries, pitching the London to Edinburgh route as part of their entry. The Hyperloop One Global Challenge is a competition which invites worldwide teams to present a commercial, transport, economic, and policy case for their cities, regions, or countries to be considered as a host the first Hyperloop networks.

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Team HypED pod design concept

A major event in Amsterdam on the 6th of June 2017 brings the semi-finalists of the Hyperloop One Global Challenge together, along with stakeholders, judges and government bodies who will be discussing partnerships to build the first Hyperloop transport systems in Europe and around the world.

The HypED team will be posting regular updates on DesignSpark about their progress over the coming months as the competition comes to a head in late August 2017, so make sure you are signed up for the DesignSpark email newsletter and follow our social media channels so you can keep up to date with the latest developments from team HypED in what could turn out to be a revolution in transportation the world over.

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To learn more about the Hyperloop One Global Challenge click here

To learn more about the Hyperloop One click here

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