DHL Express has helped the future of transport by delivering the TU Delft Hyperloop capsule to the US for the Hyperloop Pod Competition.
The Hyperloop came from US entrepreneur, Elon Musk’s desire for faster, durable, safe and reliable transportation, and is designed to transport people and goods at a speed of 1,200 kilometres per hour (KPH) through tubes of very low air pressure.
The competition capsules are half shelled prototypes, which are not able to transport passengers or freight at this time, and Delft’s carbon fibre unit weighs 149 kilogrammes and is about 4.5 metres long and one high. The prototype can reach 400 KPH on the 1.6 kilometre test track and in longer tubes can hit 1,200 KPH.
The team are travelling with the capsule to make final preparations on location for the finals of the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, where they will defend their invention in the finals of the competition in January.
DHL Express chief executive officer, Ken Allen says: “As the quickest option available in today’s world when it comes to global door-to-door transportation, we are also happy to support any initiatives that look to push the boundaries of logistics to new levels of speed and efficiency.”
DHL’s logistic support consisted of physical transportation, and advice on feasibility and data to give the Delft team a benchmark against existing modes of transport and building a business case for the technology.
