The hyperloop vehicle of Zeleros is conceived to move at pressures of around 10 kPa, which represent the approximate equivalent of flying at an altitude of 15 km, very near to aviation conditions.
The reason for this choice is because it presents two main advantages: On the one hand, aircraft systems have been tested, certified and perfected over decades at a mass scale, making air travel the safest transport option to-date.
The second gain is that aviation pressures are more scalable than lower pressures (closer to space conditions) considering infrastructure implementation. This is important while addressing medium to long range travel routes – the optimal length for hyperloop transportation has been considered between 400 to 1500 kilometres. Travelling at aviation pressures drastically reduces infrastructure costs, making them comparable to the ones of high-speed trains.
So, in similar conditions to the ones of airplanes, the idea of an aerodynamic propulsion system to move the vehicle has been selected because it can be sustainable and robust from both a cost and an operational perspective:
Sustainability stems from considering an electric motor functioning with batteries that will not generate direct carbon emissions and that can be further fed by the movement of the turbine.
Operational efficiency since the propulsion system of the vehicle will be protected from external conditions such as snow, sand, bird strikes -among other environmental factors- and will be fully automated, with possibility to travel as required.
Cost efficiency because the technology is integrated in the vehicle instead of the infrastructure, thus making it easier to build up and to maintain.
The partnership with ITP Aero to boost the Zeleros’ propulsion system
To co-develop this propulsion system, a solid and experienced aircraft engine company doing design, manufacture, assembly and MRO activities like ITP Aero is an ideal and natural partner for Zeleros. The company brings industrial vision, know-how on production and maintenance, all instrumental to make this part of the Zeleros’ vehicle ready to operate.
ITP Aero will help co-design the propulsion system, manufacture the turbomachinery and provide support in testing and in consolidating the value chain to make this propulsion system a reality, for which technology is expected to be ready by 2030.
