Last month, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), one of the companies developing the futuristic transport service dreamed up by billionaire Elon Musk, sent a 'shockwave' across Indonesia when it said it was exploring Indonesia as a potential site to put one of its tracks.
The initial feasibility study worth $2.5 million will look into whether a hyperloop system would work initially in the capital Jakarta, and then connecting cities in Java and Sumatra.
A hyperloop would work by propelling pods through a large tube at speeds of over 1,000 km per hour using magnets. It is seen as a solution to long distance travel, but also alleviating congestion in many cities.
The Hyperloop is basically a long tube which is depressurized to the point of near vacuum. Inside, passenger-carrying capsules float due to magnetic levitation.
Of course, it could also be used to transport goods. The near frictionless propulsion makes the Hyperloop energy efficient.
Integrated solar panels would even make it “energy positive,”. HTT’s version of the Hyperloop will produce more energy than it needs, making it possible to monetize the transportation system through means other than passenger fares -for example by selling off excess electricity.
Jakarta's traffic is so legendary, one among world's worst, according to a study by navigation from TomTom released earlier this year.
"Indonesia, and Jakarta in particular, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world," HTT Chairman Bibop Gresta said. "With traffic and congestion being such a big issue there, the Hyperloop will be a welcome transformation for the region."
HTT said that a hyperloop journey from Jakarata to Yogyakarta would take approximately 25 minutes. The feasibility study in Indonesia comes on the back of a number of other key agreements globally for HTT, including looking into a track between Bratislava, Slovakia and Brno and Prague in the Czech Republic. HTT has also been exploring the possibility of a hyperloop in Abu Dhabi.
It’s largely agreed that the Hyperloop’s core technologies make sense, but it’s still up for debate whether it can be made to work at scale and at realistic costs.
This introduction to Hyperloop published on Futurism, gives us a glimpse picture of this new techonology, and how it works.
Source and Reference :
- CNBC.com
