Hyperloop Transport Technologies, Hamburg port terminal operator unveil hyperloop container solution

9th July 2021

By: Irma Venter

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

Font size: - +

Hyperloop Transport Technologies (HyperloopTT) has revealed HyperPort, a high-speed cargo and freight solution which it says it “capable of increasing capacity and efficiency while decreasing pollution and congestion at ports worldwide”. 

Developed in partnership with terminal operator Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA), in Germany, the system will now enter certification design review. 

The next step for HyperPort will be a virtual reality demonstration to be presented at ITS World Congress, the largest mobility exhibition in the world, which takes place in Hamburg in October. 

A hyperloop is a proposed new mode of passenger and freight transport, travelling at speeds of up to 1 220 km/h. 

At its core, a hyperloop system is about removing the two things that slow down regular vehicles, namely friction and air resistance.

It is, therefore, described as a sealed tube or system of tubes with low air pressure –located above ground or underground – through which a pod may travel substantially free of air resistance or friction. Hyperloops normally include magnetic levitation technology, much like the systems used in advanced high-speed rail projects in Japan.

HyperloopTT says the HyperPort system is a plug-and-play solution for port operators, capable of transporting containerised cargo hundreds of kilometres in minutes. 

“The system can move 2 800 containers a day in an enclosed operating environment that eliminates at-grade crossings to increase reliability, efficiency and worker safety,” says the company.

“HyperPort capsules can sustainably transport two 20-foot standard or high cube containers, or one 40- or 45-foot container at airplane speeds.”

The HyperPort freight capsule is designed by Mormedi.

“This pre-commercialisation ready technology, developed in collaboration with HHLA and engineering-firm CT Ingenieros, represents over 20 000 detailed engineering hours, including conception, analytical models, calculations, trade-off studies, 3D models, overall design optimisations and integrations,” notes the company.

“The HyperPort capsule, infrastructure and system components are currently undergoing optimisation in preparation for commercial deployment.

“Using the same underlying technology as our passenger systems, the HyperPort can future-proof supply chains, while returning valuable seaside real estate back to surrounding communities,” says HyperloopTT CEO Andres De Leon

“Our work with world-leading firms to move this technology forward is a significant revenue opportunity for port operators all around the world.” 

“At HHLA, we know that to prepare for the future you must innovate,” notes HHLA HyperPort project manager Gerlinde John.

“The hyperloop technology is suitable for taking the transport of goods to a new level. With the HyperPort concept, we are developing an alternative solution to existing transport systems for the goods transport of the future.” 

HHLA is a European port and transport logistics company with a network of container terminals in Hamburg, Odessa, Tallinn and Trieste, as well as intermodal hubs in Central and Eastern Europe.

HyperloopTT is a transportation and technology company focused on realising the hyperloop as a viable transport method.

HyperloopTT’s European Research and Development Centre is in Toulouse, France, the aerospace capital of Europe, and is home to the world’s first full-scale test system.

Founded in 2013, the company consists of a global team of more than 800 engineers, creatives and technologists in 52 multidisciplinary teams, with 50 corporate and university partners. 

 

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

The functionality you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION