Two Swiss entries in the Hyperloop contest – a competition to develop futuristic high-speed transport pods – have finished in the top three spots.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
The student-built pods from the federal technology institutes in Zurich (ETH Zurich) and Lausanne (EPFL) finished second and third respectively in the final of the contest held at the headquarters of Elon Musk’s SpaceX group in California.
Held each year, Hyperloop awards prizes for the best-developed transport pods – capsules capable of travelling at great speeds in vacuum tubes and, possibly, the means of future travel.
ETH Zurich’s “Claude Nicollier” (named after Switzerland’s first astronaut) took second place with a top speed of 257km/h (160mph) on the 1.2-kilometre test course; EPFL’s “Bella Lui” (named after a canton Valais mountain) managed 238km/h. It’s the second year in a row that EPFL has finished third.
Researchers from the University of Munich, reaching a top speed of 463km/h, won first prize for the fourth year running.
Quick commute
The capsules, built to function in vacuum conditions, measure around two to three metres in length and weigh some 200 kilograms. Powered by electricity or batteries, they need to be able not just to reach top speeds quickly, but also to stop suddenly – EPFL’s Bella Lui is capable of braking from 500km/h to zero in two seconds.
The competition was launched by Musk in 2015 in an effort to develop a high-speed transport means for the future. He wants to develop a capsule capable of speeds of 1,200km/h that could ferry people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in under 30 minutes.
Next year, entries will have to contend with a longer test tunnel (ten kilometres) as well as a challenging curve, Musk said on Twitter.
The Swiss Federal Railways is also planning to build and test a high-speed hyperloop system in an industrial zone in canton Valais, it was announced late last year.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
Eurovision and bleak world situation are top themes at Basel carnival
This content was published on
The Eurovision Song Contest and the gloomy global situation are among the main themes of Basel Fasnacht (carnival) this year.
Prices of Swiss investment properties continue to rise despite stagnating rents
This content was published on
Although rents in Switzerland stagnated or fell in the final quarter of last year, prices for investment properties continued to rise. Both apartment buildings and office properties have become more expensive.
Probe into wrong Swiss pension figures clears federal office
This content was published on
Employees of the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) did not breach their duty of care when calculating pension prospects, an investigation has concluded.
This content was published on
Hotels in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino welcomed significantly more guests last December than in the same month of the previous year.
This content was published on
A team from the Swiss federal institute of technology Lausanne (EPFL) has won third place in Elon Musk’s “Hyperloop Pod Competition” in California.
Switzerland to test ‘hyperloop’ train technologies
This content was published on
An industrial zone in canton Valais has been chosen as the first European site to test a high-speed "hyperloop" transport system.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.