A group of German engineering students has taken the top prize in the annual SpaceX Hyperloop competition.
Technical University of Munich’s WARR Hyperloop team set a new record with a self-propelled pod, reaching 290 mph in SpaceX’s 0.8-mile vacuum tube.
“We managed to go almost 50 percent faster than last year, reaching a final speed of 467 km/h (290 mph)!” the team wrote.
SpaceX has held the competition for three years in a row. In previous events, teams were allowed to use a ‘pusher’ sled to assist their pod down the tube. This year, the focus was solely on top speed without crashing.
“To make high-speed pods that can operate in vacuum is very difficult,” SpaceX chief Elon Musk wrote in a Twitter post congratulating all participants.
WARR’s prototype ‘Pod III’ is motivated by four dual-motor propulsion modules, with dual heated battery compartments and a pneumatic system for braking. The entire pod weighs just 154 pounds and is housed in a carbon composite shell.
Musk has been credited with reviving the idea for a hyperloop, theoretically capable of launching a passenger or cargo pod at speeds above 700 mph. Several startups are currently working on the technology, including Musk’s Boring Co.
A group of German engineering students has taken the top prize in the annual SpaceX Hyperloop competition.
Technical University of Munich's WARR Hyperloop team set a new record with a self-propelled pod, reaching 290 mph in SpaceX's 0.8-mile vacuum tube.
"We managed to go almost 50 percent faster than last year, reaching a final speed of 467 km/h (290 mph)!" the team wrote.
SpaceX has held the competition for three years in a row. In previous events, teams were allowed to use a 'pusher' sled to assist their pod down the tube. This year, the focus was solely on top speed without crashing.
"To make high-speed pods that can operate in vacuum is very difficult," SpaceX chief Elon Musk wrote in a Twitter post congratulating all participants.
WARR's prototype 'Pod III' is motivated by four dual-motor propulsion modules, with dual heated battery compartments and a pneumatic system for braking. The entire pod weighs just 154 pounds and is housed in a carbon composite shell.
Musk has been credited with reviving the idea for a hyperloop, theoretically capable of launching a passenger or cargo pod at speeds above 700 mph. Several startups are currently working on the technology, including Musk's Boring Co.
