Test facility for hyperloop infrastructure now open

On July 19, the EuroTube foundation opened the first section of its hyperloop test facility by the name of DemoTube at Innovation Park Zurich in Dübendorf. According to a press release, the facility is being used to develop hyperloop technology, which is intended to enable emissions-free travel at speeds of up to 900 kilometers per hour in vacuum tubes. The magnetic levitation technology ensures that vehicles glide smoothly, while the reduced ambient pressure results in a significant drop in air resistance, which allows energy to be saved, the press release states.

Representatives of the foundation, partner companies and sponsors, as well as start-ups, scientists and mobility experts were all in attendance at the opening ceremony. “The DemoTube will provide huge impetus to testing this innovative transport technology in Switzerland. Businesses, scientists and developers now have the opportunity to test their prototypes at our facility”, comments Doré de Morsier, founder and chairman of the EuroTube Foundation.

EuroTube was founded as a research foundation in 2019 by graduates from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), before being elevated to a research institution of national importance by the Federal Council, the Swiss federal government, in 2021 to research the promising technology, as the press release explains. The EuroTube Foundation is a non-profit research organization for the development of vacuum transport technology.

The first project phase of the DemoTube facility includes a vacuum chamber with an airlock and valve, which is already being used for vacuum testing of vehicle prototypes during European Hyperloop Week. Over the next few months, the facility will be expanded to include a 120-meter-long tube made of vacuum-tight special concrete and a magnetic levitating train. ce/gba