Andhra Pradesh to get India’s first Hyperloop

TOPIC: GS PAPER III SCIENCE & TECCHNOLOGY

Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

The government of Andhra Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with California-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) to develop India’s first Hyperloop route in the state.

Background:

• Amaravati is a state-of-the-art city being developed in Andhra Pradesh as its de facto capital. In order to boost its image and emerge as the frontier city in future technology, Amaravati is looking forward to collaborating with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. Hyperloop is a cutting-edge technological disruption in the transportation industry.
• The Hyperloop is expected to give rise to development of various state-of-the-art technology parks and software clusters in Amaravati, helping to fortify the city’s image as a world class leader in science and technology.

Key facts:

• The proposed metro project from Vijaywada, the Andhra Pradesh government today joinedhands with a US-based company to introduce the futuristic “Hyperloop” transportation system in the state capital region, Amravati.
• If everything goes well, this will be the first Hyperloop project to be implemented in India.
• The project will be taken up in the public-private- partnership mode with the funding coming primarily from private investors.
• Hyperloop envisages a ‘tube modular transport system’ that runs free of friction. It is still in trial stages in different countries.

 What is the hyperloop?

Hyperloop is a radical, yet untested means of travel proposed by maverick entrepreneur Elon Musk. It involves travelling in pods through a sealed pipe at speeds that could touch 1,200km/hr, making it faster than a jet aircraft. These speeds will be possible due to a largely frictionless environment, minus any physical contact or air resistance.

How it operates?

• In hyperloop transporation, custom-designed capsules or pods are expected to zip smoothly through continuous steel tubes which are held at partial vacuum. The pod which sandwiches the passenger compartment between an air compressor upfront and a battery compartment in the rear is supported by air caster skis at the bottom.
• The skis float on a thin layer of air provided under high pressure, eliminating rolling resistance and allowing for movement of the pods at high speeds. These capsules are expected to be driverless with estimated speeds of 1,000 km/h.
• Linear induction motors that are placed along the tube control the speed of the pod. Electronically-assisted acceleration and braking determines the speed of the capsule.

WAY AHEAD:

Building a successful Hyperloop sub-scale demonstration project could reduce the political impediments and improve cost estimates. It may be personally involved in building a demonstration prototype of the Hyperloop concept, including funding the development effort.

QUESTION ARISING FROM THIS TOPIC:

Q1) What is hyper loop transportation? What is the science and technology involved in it? Can it transform how Indians travel? Examine.