Delft Hyperloop wins European Hyperloop Week – see this hyperloop at Telerex stand 9A022

This winning Hyperloop will be on display at the Telerex stand during WoTS 2022.

Delft Hyperloop wins first prize for best hyperloop prototype during the European Hyperloop Week, an international hyperloop competition in which sixteen teams from all over the world participated. After devoting themselves to designing and building a hyperloop prototype for a year, the Delft team, consisting of 38 students from TU Delft, competed against international opponents last week. 

From July 18 to 24, the European Hyperloop Week took place. This is the international hyperloop competition where dozens of student teams from all over the world come together to compete for various prizes. This year, the Netherlands had the honor of receiving these teams in Delft and was therefore at the center of global hyperloop development!

During this week, competition and collaboration were central. The week is intended to accelerate the implementation of the hyperloop. This is done by having all student teams compete in six subcategories and for 1 main prize. The most beautiful prize is the “Complete pod design award”, which is awarded to the team with the best total system.

It was an exciting demonstration day at the Voestalpine Track Solutions site in Hilversum on July 23. The Delft, Swiss, Spanish and German teams were able to demonstrate their prototype to the critical jury all day long.It was all so exciting. You and the team have been working towards this moment for a year. You only get 30 minutes per attempt to present the prototype perfectly, a real all or nothing moment“, said Patrick Sheppard, team captain of Delft Hyperloop.

During the demonstrations, Delft Hyperloop wanted to show two parts: the possibility to drive both ways and brake on the engine and a 'run' at high speed with an emergency stop. The first was immediately successful, but during the second run the brakes were activated too early. Fortunately, the team made up for everything in the last run. The prototype of Delft, called Helios I, shot over the track floating and convinced the jury for the first place. Special about Helios I is that the prototype floats under the rails by means of magnetic levitation. The prototype is also propelled forward by a magnetic motor. Magnetic suspension has never been shown before by a student team.

On July 24, the prizes were awarded during a ceremony on the Grote Markt in Delft. The tension of all participating teams was clearly noticeable. It was therefore an explosion of joy when the team received the prize for the best total hyperloop system.It is a great achievement and reward for all the hard work of the past year. We have our eyes on this prize, because it really encompasses the whole picture of the hyperloop”, says Thijs Bolscher, project manager of Delft Hyperloop.

In addition, the team also received the Innovation Award, presented by EuroTube for the most innovative team in the competition.