Engineers at IIT Madras and a startup have teamed up to build India’s first cargo hyperloop system.
What’s it about? A team of engineers has been working on a hyperloop project called Avishkhar at IIT Madras since 2018. They’ve also participated in several international competitions. Working with startup TuTr Hyperloop, it’ll go through the development stages for commercialisation. It’s seen as an option for sustainable transportation in the future.
- The target speed range for the cargo version is 100-250 kmph. For the inner-city passenger version, it’s 600 kmph and above. A lab-level advanced version was unveiled and demonstrated recently.
- The pod project has a 4 kWh battery pack. The levitation system has a lift-weight ratio of 8. The project has got support from companies like Daimler, Hexaware, and Swagelook.
Who said what? Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, an advisor to the project, said by the end of the current academic year, they should have a basic full stack of hyperloop ready. Hari Krishna from TuTr Hyperloop said the manufacturing is being done in-house, and they have a patent. Aravind Bharadwaj, the company’s founder, said the current goal is to collect as much data as possible.