The idea of an ultra-fast Hyperloop transport infrastructure has so far degenerated into a system of underground tunnels Elon Musk’s The Boring Company completely fell apart in the performance of Richard Branson’s Hyperloop One. But the Chinese have not forgotten regarding it. It turned outthat the Chinese Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) took up this issue, which eloquently reveals the forces and means that were thrown into this direction. And the first tests have already passed!
Image Source: CASIC
CASIC built a hyperloop test site in Datong, Shanxi Province. The first stage includes 2 km of pipe with all necessary equipment. Three tests have already been carried out at the facility, including the last one on January 14, when a full-scale prototype of a passenger capsule flew in a tube at a speed of 50 km / h. It literally flew by, since the capsule floats in a strong magnetic field and does not touch the rails during movement.
In the future, the experimental line will be extended to 60 km so that prototype vehicles can be tested at speeds up to 1000 km/h. According to Chinese commentators, CASIC’s focus on hyperloop issues means an interest in dual-use technologies, which include supersonic propulsion, superconducting magnets, high-performance on-board electronics, and much more that will find military applications.
However, China is also interested in high-speed transport infrastructure. The movement of maglevs in a pipe with very rarefied air will provide speed and the highest energy efficiency, which can never be achieved in the case of conventional rail transport. Today, trains in China move at a maximum speed of 350 km/h. Modernization of tracks and rolling stock promises to increase the speed of movement to 400 km / h by 2025. But radical change will come only following the creation of the hyperloop network, if that ever happens.
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