THE OFFICIAL SPACEX HYPERLOOP POD COMPETITION

 

SpaceX announced the Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2015. The competition’s goal is to support the development of functional prototypes and encourage innovation by challenging student teams to design and build the best high-speed pod. The first three competitions were held in January 2017, August 2017, and July 2018 and were the first of their kind anywhere in the world.

 

Based on these successes, SpaceX moved forward with the fourth installment: the 2019 Hyperloop Pod Competition. As with previous competitions, the competition was judged solely on one criteria: maximum speed with successful deceleration (i.e. without crashing). All pods were self-propelled. The key updates to the rules for the 2019 competition were the following:

1. Teams used their own communications system. SpaceX did not provide an on-pod communications system, otherwise known as the Network Access Panel (NAP).
2. Pods were designed and tested to propel themselves within 100 feet of the far end of the tube before stopping. This could take the form of a single main run to that point or a “slow crawl” after the pod’s main run was completed.

The below teams were selected to compete in the 2019 Hyperloop Pod Competition.

Avishkar	Indian Insitute of Technology Madras
Badgerloop	University of Wisconsin – Madison
Delft Hyperloop	Delft University of Technology
EPFLoop	EPFL – École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
HYPED	The University of Edinburgh
Hyperloop at Virginia Tech	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Hyperloop UPV	Universitat Politècnica de València
Hyperlynx	University of Colorado – Denver
HyperXite	University of California – Irvine
Midwest Hyperloop	Purdue University; University of Cincinnati; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
MIT Hyperloop II	MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Texas at Austin
OneLoop	University of California – Davis
Paradigm Hyperloop	Northeastern University; Memorial University of Newfoundland; College of the North Atlantic
Queen's Hyperloop Design Team	Queen's University
SLOLoop	California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo
Swissloop	ETH Zurich
TUM Hyperloop	Technical University of Munich
UMD Loop	University of Maryland
UNSW Hyperloop	The University of New South Wales
uWinLoop & SCCLoop	University of Windsor; St. Clair College
Washington Hyperloop	University of Washington

Previous competitions results can be found below:

Event	Award
Hyperloop Pod Competition I (January 2017)	Technical University of Munich (WARR Hyperloop) – Top Speed (58 mph) Delft University (Delft Hyperloop) – Best Overall Design
Hyperloop Pod Competition II (August 2017)	Technical University of Munich (WARR Hyperloop) – Top Speed (201 mph) Northeastern University; Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador (Paradigm Hyperloop) – 63 mph ETH Zurich (Swissloop) – 25 mph
Hyperloop Pod Competition III (July 2018)	Technical University of Munich (WARR Hyperloop) – Top Speed (284 mph) Delft University (Delft Hyperloop) – 88 mph EPFL – École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – 52 mph
Hyperloop Pod Competition IV	Technical University of Munich (TUM Hyperloop) – Top Speed (288 mph) ETH Zurich (Swissloop) – 160 mph EPFL – École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – 147 mph Delft University (Delft Hyperloop) – 125 mph

During the competitions, the following schools have received Innovation Awards: Delft University (Delft Hyperloop), Irish universities (Éirloop), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT Hyperloop), St. John’s High School (Team HyperLift), Technical University of Munich (WARR Hyperloop), University of Maryland (UMD Loop), University of Oldenburg and University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer (HyperPodX), Universitat Politècnica de València (Hyperloop UPV), University of Texas at Austin (Texas Guadaloop), University of Washington (Washington Hyperloop), and University of Wisconsin-Madison (Badgerloop).

Note: This competition is a SpaceX event. SpaceX has no affiliation with any Hyperloop companies, including but not limited to those frequently referenced by the media.

Is Hyperloop really worth the hype? Is this passenger pod levitating in a vacuum tube a viable alternative to curb the environmental impact of current modes of transport? This revolutionary and more sustainable mode of transportation for passengers or freight can reach speeds of over 1000 kilometers per hour (600mph), decreasing travel time significantly. For example, one could go from Amsterdam to Paris in 30 minutes instead of 4 hours, or from New York to Washington in 25 minutes instead of 3 hours. Have you ever wondered how levitation works? How would passengers feel? What will infrastructure costs be?  Is the Hyperloop concept technically and commercially viable? Regardless of your background, this course will teach you how this technology works and will prove why it is worth investing in. Key topics include the core concepts behind Hyperloop, current developments in the technology, implementation, standardization and the future solutions Hyperloop will offer and the challenges it faces. Through discussions with fellow participants and critical thinking you will form your own vision and develop your own ideas about this exciting new technology and its future. This course is for anyone interested in the Hyperloop concept. For those seeking more in-depth knowledge, or wanting to pursue a career or conduct research in this field, the course provides additional resources. This course, designed by the Delft Hyperloop Dream Team (winners of the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2017 and runners up in 2018), has been recently updated with the latest research and more in-depth information about topics such as levitation, propulsion, implementation, economics, network and more. This award-winning team consists of TU Delft students, international experts and partner companies who will also share their expertise.