Fourth victory in the fourth race

7/21/2019
Reading time 2 min.

Once again, the students of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) win the Hyperloop competition – the fourth win in a row. At a top speed of 288 miles per hour (463 km/h) the TUM Hyperloop-team left all other teams in the international competition far behind.

For the fourth time in a row, the Hyperloop team of the Technical University of Munich has won the globally publicized Hyperloop competition. Their pod reached 288 miles per hour (463 km/h) – just under the world record of 290 miles per hour (467 km/h) set by the TUM team in last year's competition.

At 160 miles per hour (257.5 km/h), the Swissloop team of ETH Zurich came in far behind. The EPFLoop team of the EPFL in Lausanne (Switzerland) reached 148 miles per hour (238 km/h). The pod of the TU Delft triggered a full stop after 200 meters, following a communication breakdown.

Space X founder Elon Musk introduced the concept of Hyperloops, ultrafast trains that race through an evacuated tube system, in 2013. To advance his idea, he launched the "SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition" in 2015. This year a total of 21 student teams from around the world competed against each other with their prototypes for the Hyperloop cabin capsule, the so-called "Pod."

100 tests passed

During the competition week, the Hyperloop pods had to pass some 100 tests. "We passed all tests successfully, but not all at the first attempt," says team manager Toni Jukic. Components failed and part of the software had to be rewritten. But, in many night shifts they ultimately managed to solve all problems.

"The Pod is the result of a four-year evolution, so to speak," says Jukic. "We learned every year and implemented the results. Even though we did not break the world record, achieving the fourth victory in the fourth race, is unbelievable. We are elated," says team leader Toni Jukic.

Levitation pod and tube system

The 15-student TUM Hyperloop "Research Team is at the same time exploring the Hyperloop concept for feasibility, sustainability and cost-effectiveness. They built a further pod with a functioning levitation system, which they presented at the competition along with the associated ultra-rigid concrete tube system.

Further information and links

In addition to numerous industrial sponsors, the TUM provided the students with financing in the development of the prototypes. Moreover, the Hyperloop team was given access to the high-tech workshop MakerSpace of UnternehmerTUM, the center for innovation and founding on the Garching campus.

* TUM Hyperloop Team: https://tumhyperloop.de/
* TUM Hyperloop on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TUMHyperloop/
* Bilder on Flickr (Credit: TUM Hyperloop Team): https://www.flickr.com/photos/148755431@N04/
* Videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWsP2oiB6Gq_s0E6r2T2RSQ
* Guest Server with additional: https://guest.next-prototypes.de/

High resolution images:

https://mediatum.ub.tum.de/1514860

Technical University of Munich

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