The primary objective of the Hypernex project is to serve as a catalyst to accelerate the development of the fifth means of transport, hyperloop, in Europe. It has aimed to achieve this by bringing together hyperloop developers, R&D entities, industry players, regulators and society to collaborate in developing regulation, standardization, and hyperloop system development. The stakeholders work jointly to solve problems that are necessary to enable the ultimate success of the hyperloop industry, including establishing methods for safe operations of the future system and creating an adequate pipeline of talent, technologies, industrial capacity and standardization guidance.
Those objectives of the Hypernex project are well-aligned with the needs of Europe. For example, it is important for Europe to establish its leadership in the transport industry by developing novel, disruptive means of transport (e.g. hyperloop) that can augment and/or displace existing modes to meet the needs of European travellers, while concurrently contributing to Europe’s industrial capabilities, providing jobs, and creating export opportunities. Europe must also tackle the climate change crisis by minimizing its GHG emissions (as acknowledged in the European Green Deal, which outlines climate objectives such as minimizing transport-related emissions by 90% by 2050). The Hypernex project supports the development of Europe’s hyperloop industry, which can help achieve those goals.
The Hypernex project contributes to developing and ultimately deploying a novel, sustainable transport system that allows Europe to achieve its Paris Agreement and European Green Deal objectives. EVs contribute to urban transport decarbonization, but long-distance trips currently have few low-carbon alternatives; hyperloop has the potential to become a key solution in decarbonizing long-distance transport while meeting the needs of European citizens by providing fast, safe, flexible, and comfortable transportation.