After fielding 2,600 registrants in five months, Hyperloop One today released the locations of the 35 remaining semifinalist teams for its Hyperloop One Global Challenge. The Global Challenge kicked off in May 2016 as an open call to individuals, universities, companies and governments to develop comprehensive proposals for using Hyperloop One’s disruptive transport technology in their region to move passengers and freight point-to-point, swiftly, and on-demand.
The semifinalists come from 17 countries, representing every continent except Antarctica. The US has 11 teams left, India 5 and the U.K. four. It’s a strong field: Twenty proposals come with commitments of support from local, state and federal governments and agencies. The company expects to announce the handful of finalists by May.
“The Hyperloop One Global Challenge unleashed ideas from some of the world’s most creative engineers and planners, who care as much as we do about the future of transportation,” said Rob Lloyd, CEO, Hyperloop One. “These are all solutions that can make a real and immediate social and economic impact.”
Hyperloop One also announced today the locations and dates for the three showcases that will explore how projects in the Global Challenge can fundamentally improve economies and regions. Invited teams will explore the details of their proposals with models, maps, renderings, talks and video. The Global Challenge showcase events will be held on:
- February 28th in New Delhi, India
- April 6 in Washington DC
- April 27 in London, UK
“We wanted everyone to have a chance to see this amazing work. The best teams got it right away that the point of the Hyperloop is to provide maximum benefit in how we live and work, and how it can improve manufacturing and supply chains,” said Josh Giegel, President of Engineering, Hyperloop One.
The remaining teams will now be reviewed by Hyperloop One’s panel of experts in transportation, technology, economics and innovation. These judges are: Peter Diamandis, Founder and Executive Chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation; Bassam Mansour, International Railway Industry Advisor and Director of Rail Systems at HSS Engineers; Clive Burrows, Group Engineering Director for FirstGroup; Ulla Tapaninen, Senior Specialist in Economic Development for the City of Helsinki and adjunct professor at University of Turku.
The finalists will be announced as a part of a busy 2017 for Hyperloop One, which will include the company’s “Kitty Hawk” moment, the world’s first full-scale test of a Hyperloop. The eventual winners will work closely with the Hyperloop One engineering and business development teams to explore project development and financing later this year.
“The Mission 350 Plus program announced by the Ministry of Railways in India in 2016 is a bold step to introduce levitation-based technology to carry passenger and cargo systems at speeds of more than 350 kmph, in order to accommodate the growing transport infrastructure demands of the world’s fastest growing economy,” said Sibesh Kar, Hyperloop India. “This is a prime opportunity for the Hyperloop and for India.”
“Cooperation between Hyper Poland and Hyperloop One under the framework of the Hyperloop One Global Challenge will have a positive impact on the possibility for quickly implementing the system in Poland,” said Jadwiga Emilewicz, Undersecretary of State, Polish Ministry of Economic Development.
“We’d like to see Colorado host the first Hyperloop network and be a part of the future of travel,” said Michael B. Hancock, Mayor of Denver. “I am confident that this new and transformative method of transportation will bring substantial benefits to Colorado and the West.”
More details can be found on www.hyperloop-one.com.
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