TransPod
TransPod Inc. is a Canadian company designing ultra-high-speed transportation technology and vehicles. TransPod vehicles are being designed to travel at over 1,000 km/h (620 mph) between cities, using fully electric propulsion to carry passengers and cargo. The proposed system would create a faster and carbon-free alternative to jets and automobiles. The TransPod vehicles, which TransPod calls "FluxJets", are designed to travel through a tube guideway which is similar to a hyperloop or vactrain system, with variations based on magnetic levitation rather than air bearings to promote vehicle stability, and placing the core magnetic levitation technology on the vehicle rather than the infrastructure in an effort to minimize infrastructure costs. In November 2016, TransPod raised a US$15 million seed round from Angelo Investments, an Italian high-tech holding group specializing in advanced technologies for the railway, space, and aviation industries. It has since expanded from Toronto, Canada, to open offices in Limoges, France and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In September 2017, TransPod's Chief Technology Officer Ryan Janzen revealed part of the technology in a paper published in the journal Procedia Engineering. The paper was presented at the EASD EURODYN 2017 conference, and introduces basic design elements of the TransPod system. In March 2022, TransPod achieved an agreement in principle for US$550 million in funding for its proposed Calgary to Edmonton Ultra-High-Speed Tube Transportation system in Alberta, Canada. The financing is being provided by Broughton Capital Group (“BCG”), in cooperation with China-East Resources Import & Export Co. (“CERIECO”). Full construction of the line is expected to begin in 2027. In July 2022, TransPod unveiled its new vehicle and infrastructure design, termed the "FluxJet", alongside a one-third scale vehicle prototype, at a live event in Toronto. Technology The TransPod system is being developed to carry vehicles at speeds greater than 1000 km/h. Announced in 2016, the TransPod system contains aerodynamic and propulsion systems to reduce friction compared to trains, automobiles and jets, and to therefore travel at a faster speed. TransPod's technology is designed to be compatible with renewable energies including solar generation, supplemented by regional electrical grid connection link-ups. TransPod states the purpose of this is for reduced carbon emissions. To achieve fossil-fuel-free propulsion, TransPod vehicles take advantage of electrically driven linear induction motor technology, with active real-time control and sense-space systems. The TransPod system is distinct from the hyperloop concept proposed by Elon Musk's Hyperloop Alpha white paper. Unlike hyperloop, the TransPod system uses moving electromagnetic fields to propel the vehicles with stable levitation from the top surface, rather than compressed air below the vehicle. Passenger vehicles include seating for 54 people, while cargo vehicles have a loadable interior. Each vehicle includes an aircraft-like fuselage pressurized for atmospheric air circulation and control – and includes propulsion, guidance and control systems to operate at speeds exceeding 1000 km/h within a protected tube guideway. The tubes are twinned to permit bidirectional vehicle travel. The cargo transport TransPod vehicles are designed to carry payloads of 10 tons and have compatibility with wooden pallets, as well