Steel group Tata Steel, technological service provider for the maritime industry Royal IHC and construction group Royal BAM are backing the European hyperloop initiative by Delft-based Hardt hyperloop. The aim is to accelerate development, pool knowledge and expertise and eventually work towards an international standard. To this end, the parties signed a declaration of intent last week.
With this new commitment, it is safe to say that the hyperloop is gaining support and its development is accelerating. Tata Steel, Royal IHC and BAM are key industrial partners with knowledge and experience perfectly suited to the development of the hyperloop. Tim Houter, CEO of Hardt hyperloop: "Together, we will ensure a hyperloop that meets the infrastructure challenges. It is a vote of confidence that the business community wants to be so closely involved in this. They see the commercial opportunities of the hyperloop."
Construction group BAM has been involved in the development of the hyperloop from the beginning. Together with Hardt hyperloop, it previously realised the first European test facility. The signing of the letter of intent further intensifies this collaboration. Maarten van Raaij, Director BAM Infra Rail: 'This really is a new, innovative way of travelling. It solves the problem of our busier cities. That's why we think this is so important at BAM Infra. With this collaboration, we hope that its development will gain momentum."
Financial
Besides investing knowledge, Tata Steel and Royal IHC are also making a financial contribution to the development. Hans van den Berg, director of Tata Steel in IJmuiden: "Tata Steel invests in developing steels that contribute to making society more sustainable. Our high-strength steels enable our customers to efficiently manufacture energy-efficient products. The development of a Hyperloop fits in perfectly with this. A very large part of the hyperloop infrastructure consists of steel. One of the biggest challenges is to build the hyperloop tube and rails as efficiently as possible. We have now developed technology for this and expect to halve the weight and cost through smarter construction and more efficient production methods. We believe that these developments will also be more widely applicable than just for the hyperloop."
Joti Hakkert, Director IHC Mission Equipment Netherlands: "This initiative is a revolutionary technological innovation in the field of transport systems. As IHC, we are therefore pleased to enter into cooperation to help make this possible. With our knowledge of handling and tunnelling systems, we can ensure that the infrastructure required for the hyperloop can be built extremely efficiently and with as little disruption to the surrounding area as possible."
Open invitation
With the start of the cooperation between the four companies, the development of the hyperloop enters a new phase. Houter: "The realisation of the hyperloop requires broad-based support about the end product to be formed. We will therefore continue to build the movement and invite parties who can collaborate on the technological development and implementation to participate in the further realisation."
Other partners
Hardt Hyperloop has already gained the confidence of a wide variety of investors and partners. BAM, Dutch Railways and regional investment fund UNIIQ have been involved from the very beginning. Cooperation has also been established with Busch Vacuum Pumps and Systems and Goudsmit Magnetics Group. In February this year, it was announced that a group of investors including Paul van Keep, co-founder of Exact, Gregory van der Wiel, professional footballer and co-founder of investment fund Block Party and renewable energy fund Enfuro Ventures are investing 1.25 million euros in the hyperloop.
