TransPod has announced a partnership with Mersen, a global expert in electrical power and advanced materials, to develop new cooling technology designed specifically for transportation in a vacuum environment.
The collaboration will allow Mersen to work closely with TransPod’s engineering team to produce a commercially viable hyperloop system by 2020. Mersen will provide expertise and testing facilities for the development of a coolant system that effectively counteracts the heat produced by the hyperloop pod’s requirements for air compression, without reducing the pod’s speed and efficiency.
“Our current options for transportation are expensive, slow, and environmentally harmful,” said Sebastien Gendron, founder and CEO, TransPod. “With hyperloop, we will be able to connect people, cities, and businesses with high-speed transportation that is affordable and sustainable so we can travel further in less time, speed up the exchange of goods, and create opportunities for in-city growth. This partnership leverages Mersen’s leading-edge capabilities to make this a reality.”
“Here at Mersen, we are committed to innovation and clean technology,” said Luc Themelin, CEO of Mersen. “TransPod’s design and engineering approach to hyperloop technology combined with Mersen expertise could make hyperloop a reality. We are confident this partnership will enable us to innovate in the areas of transportation and climate-change mitigation.”
TransPod has already designed a first half-scale prototype and will present a full-scale concept at the InnoTrans Rail show in September 2016 in Berlin.
