LEVITATION AND PROPULSION SUBSYSTEMS FOR SUSTAINABLE HIGH-SPEED MAGNETIC LEVITATION HYPERLOOP SYSTEM

Project Information

Zeleros Hyperloop

Grant agreement ID: 877528

DOI

10.3030/877528

Project closed

EC signature date 26 July 2019

Start date 1 August 2019

End date 31 January 2020

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

ZELEROS GLOBAL SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Zeleros Hyperloop (LEVITATION AND PROPULSION SUBSYSTEMS FOR SUSTAINABLE HIGH-SPEED MAGNETIC LEVITATION HYPERLOOP SYSTEM)

Reporting period: 2019-08-01 to 2020-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In globalized world, transporting travellers and goods has become a strategic sector for economy. This has resulted in increased importance for trade and transport, which have tripled since 1950, to reach a value of €4.14 trillion in 2017, i.e. 6% of Gross World Product (GWP), and this growth is set to rise even further with increasing globalisation. Yet this expansion does not come without issues: infrastructure congestion, both in airspace1 and roads, pollution and oil dependence are three of the mobility issues that need to be solved in order to offer sustainable and stable growth in the future.

These drawbacks have led to the need to find a more efficient, cheaper and cleaner transport system. In 2013, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX , released an open-source white paper showcasing a new means of transportation, the Hyperloop, based on capsules travelling at 1,000 km/h that levitate inside low-pressure tunnels. This system combines the speed of a plane, the convenience of a train and the frequency of an underground system, making long distance journeys faster and more comfortable.

From Zeleros, we have developed a totally divergent Hyperloop that by combining a levitation system based on attraction to the top of the tunnel and a propulsion system based on the combination of the aerodynamic and linear engine, will allow us to offer much better conditions than those offered by our competitors to ensure the stability of the Hyperloop, reducing costs and offering safer conditions.

However, as we have mentioned before, to carry out the implementation of the Hyperloop it is necessary to develop and test its components. One of them is the chosen propulsion system, the linear motor.

That is why this feasibility study focuses on this Hyperloop application, more specifically on short-distance cargo transport, which is currently affected by the aforementioned problems of the current means of transport and where its implementation could not only help Zeleros to grow but also to improve the efficiency of this type of transport.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the project we have carried out some tasks in order to ensure the technical and commercial viability of Zeleros' technology focusing on the Switched Reluctance Linear Motor (SRLM). The first task has been a feasibility study of the system, which has allowed us to ensure the reality of the system, through the contact with potential customers, suppliers and pilot tests to improve and correct errors that could appear in the implementation of the system. The second task consisted of a market analysis, by conducting interviews with relevant market players present throughout the target market value chain. The objective was to find out the needs of these actors, as well as their impressions of the sector, in order to adjust the system to the needs of the market. All these analyses have been condensed into a business plan that contains all the necessary steps to carry out the business successfully.

In addition, during phase 2, the product will be optimised to obtain a precise determination of the possible target segments of the Zeleros SRLM, the distances over which the Zeleros SRLM is effective, where there is a loss of efficiency, validation and the system developed by Zeleros, and to quantify the reduction in energy and environmental costs by using the Zeleros SRLM. Within this process a more specific analysis of IRP & Regulations will be carried out, adapting the conclusions to the system. The other main objective is to adapt the system to the specific needs of the market by conducting pilot tests in real environments. The aim is to create different versions of the Zeleros SRLM adapted to the needs of each destination where it is applied. The ultimate goal is to offer to build and maintain the system through a consortium of construction, maintenance and engineering companies, where Zeleros will be positioned as a technology partner and will receive part of the funds offered in the tender, and where it will assume an equivalent percentage of the costs of implementation by developing a scalable and repeatable model and a revenue plan and disseminating it by promoting the project and its conclusions during the subsidy period, involving potential buyers and stakeholders.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

In recent times, society has become increasingly demanding on the means of transport it uses and has become more aware of the environment. They are looking for means that are more respectful of the environment, durable and with lower consumption without reducing performance. Currently, there are some intra-port transport systems on the market, but they present some disadvantages in terms of consumption, generation of traffic jams and pollution.

However, thanks to the Zeleros solution, which has a relatively low implementation cost, the short distance freight transport sector is expected to be boosted worldwide. Zeleros' SRLM has an efficient and effective system for moving containers that not only reduces management time, but also reduces the number of greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and the number of traffic jams generated around commercial ports.

Therefore, this project represents a great advance since it allows making container traffic more efficient while minimizing its impact on traffic and the environment, since it is a product that is easy to implement and also has great adaptability and compatibility with other subsystems used in ports for TEUS traffic

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