Montreal to Toronto in 30 minutes: Startup's goal with Hyperloop technology
Imagine you could travel from Montreal to Toronto in 30 minutes after buying a ticket to ride inside an aluminum pod that travelled close to the speed of sound inside a low-pressure tube.
That's the dream of Toronto startup Transpod, which has taken up the challenge posed by SpaceX founder and billionaire Elon Musk to design what he calls the "fifth mode of transportation."
Sebastien Gendron, founder of Transpod, says the company is working with the University of Toronto toward the goal of having a commercial prototype by 2020.
"There is definitely a bit of research and development to do to succeed to reach those speeds. But clearly the physics is here today and clearly feasible," he told CBC's The Exchange.
In 2013, Musk announced the Hyperloop concept, a super-fast, low-friction transportation system that would be an alternative to existing ways of travelling, with higher performance at lower overall cost.
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Now his goal is to present the first concept model at InnoTrans, the world's largest rail show, which takes place in Berlin in September.
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If Transpod perfects its prototype by September, it still has a couple of years of development before it has a commercial model, he said.
Musk envisages Hyperloop technology carrying people between cities at high speed throughout North America.
Gendron said he is seeking out financial backing and working out the business case for Hyperloop travel. One of the big advantages might be very low use of energy, though there would be large costs in building infrastructure.
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