The Hyperloop is going on a roadshow to showcase their new transportation technology. Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) to develop their own hyperloop system. The agreement is the result of talks which started in December last year.
The India project is important not only for HTT but also for the Andhra Pradesh province. The project itself has both private and public proponents and investors. The stakeholders will be concerned with the route, making sure that this will answer the needs of the two cities as well as the surrounding areas
The bold action will develop a 27-kilometer (16.7-mile) tunnel between Amaravati and Vijayawada in the Andhra Pradesh province. This will cut down the travel time between the two cities from one hour to around 6 minutes. The first phase of the project will be a feasibility study which is expected to last 6 months and will start by October. Construction will be the project’s phase two and is expected to employ more than 2,500 people.
Nara Lokesh, the Cabinet Minister for Information Technology, Panchayati Raj, and Rural Development for the State of Andhra Pradesh, says that the Hyperloop will spur the development of IT in the form of technology parks and software clusters in the Andhra Pradesh region.
HTT has not yet created a prototype, but the company asserts that the technology already exists. As far as the Andhra Pradesh government is concerned, this is enough for them to sign off on the new technology. There are other countries interested in implementing a hyperloop within their borders. These include South Korea, United Arab Emirates, and some European countries.
Sold on the Idea of Hyperloop
HTT’s rival, Hyperloop One, has already proven their capability by building a model of the pod, the track and the tube on which the pod glides over. They have also run the pod on the track. They had a 28-foot pod on a test run reaching up to 200 miles per hour. There are other hyperloop companies in the world, as well as in universities where they are researching to make the technology better. Elon Musk’s HTT is not an exception. It is estimated that there are more than 800 engineers and technicians working for HTT, some of them on their free time for a portion of the equity.
The India project is important not only for HTT but also for the Andhra Pradesh province. The project itself has both private and public proponents and investors. The stakeholders will be concerned with the route, making sure that this will answer the needs of the two cities as well as the surrounding areas. The involvement of the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board will help ensure that HTT will be able to meet all regulatory requirements. For the project to continue unabated, it is important that it have full government approval and support for the duration of the project.
HTT’s presence in South Korea is also on the same level as India but without any dates announced. HTT has signed a memorandum of agreement with other South Korean companies and agencies. The United Arab Emirates has been in the running to acquire their own hyperloop services as well. The country is interested in the hyperloop transport program in the same way that they have put up the highest office building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. They have put a lot of money in projecting themselves into the future.
The hyperloop is a bold idea that plenty of countries want a taste of, not just because it is fast and efficient, but also because it represents transportation in the digital age. Like the driverless cars and drone taxis currently being developed and tested, industrialized nations do not want to be left out.
