Education

How a tweet decided the course of Delft Hyperloop

This year, the Delft Hyperloop team is opting for a flexible design. A tweet from Hyperloop inventor Elon Musk was the deciding factor.

The Delft Hyperloop team comprises 33 TU Delft students from almost every faculty. (Photo: Delft Hyperloop)

A team presentation and an impression of the new Hyperloop Pod. This is what visitors to the Kunsthal can expect to see on Thursday during the team presentation of the Delft Hyperloop. The 33 TU Delft students of the fourth Delft Hyperloop team started work in September 2019.
This year, they will concentrate on a flexible design. The reason for this is that the date for the next SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition has not yet been set and the requirements for entry are not clear. The tweet below from the Hyperloop inventor, Elon Musk, did nothing to clarify matters.
tweet_elonmusk.JPG

A 10 kilometre tunnel with a curve is a different matter altogether than a one kilometre straight tunnel as has been the case up to now. Team member Romee Postma says the teams have agreed among themselves to continue working with the old tunnel in mind until the rules are officially changed. “We are making a flexible design just in case we do need to make any adjustments along the way.”
This year, the Delft Hyperloop team comprises 33 TU Delft students from almost every faculty. They are working on electronics, mechanics, management, partnerships and scalability to make the Hyperloop a realistic form of transport.
Postma explains that students who wish to join the team must have relevant knowledge and skills. And especially be prepared to give their all. “We all want to be part of the development of the Hyperloop and this is why we go on this one-year adventure without receiving any payment or RAS graduation support [remuneration by TU Delft, eds.].”
One year long? Until the date of the next competition is set, this could be months longer.

The team presentation on Thursday evening 13 February is sold out. Anyone interested can watch the livestream on the website.

Editor in chief Saskia Bonger

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s.m.bonger@tudelft.nl

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