India’s entry into the international Hyperloop race will be made in Bengaluru

If all goes well, pods made in Bengaluru will be part of a race that seeks to pick the best Hyperloop pod from around the world. The Hyperloop India team has partnered with Bengaluru’s Workbench Projects to build the pod through June and July.

In August, the pods built at Workbench Projects will finally be raced inside a mile-long vacuum tube built by SpaceX at Hawthorne in California.

“We are Hyperloop India’s primary partner and sponsor for space and pod building. We will provide the team with mentors and fabricators to help build the OrcaPod at our main makerspace,” Pavan Kumar, CEO and founder of Workbench Projects told FactorDaily.

OrcaPod is a scaled down pod prototype being developed by Hyperloop India that will reach up to speeds of 460kmph. Hyperloop India is one of the five teams shortlisted for the Hyperloop One Global Challenge

OrcaPod is a scaled down pod prototype being developed by Hyperloop India that will reach up to speeds of 460 kmph. Hyperloop India is one of the five teams shortlisted for the Hyperloop One Global Challenge (HOGC).

Hyperloop India is a team of over 80 students from BITS Pilani, Indian School of Business and IIM-Ahmedabad. The team’s Orcapod has been selected for the final stage of SpaceX’s Hyperloop Pod Design Competition and is the only team to have advanced to this stage in the competition.

“We are looking at building a 4×2 metre pod. The entire pod will be build at our main space in Ulsoor and we will help the team connect with fabricators and experts from places like Peenya and Electronic City for this build,” Kumar added.

Hyperloop in India

Over the past year, Hyperloop One and its competitor, Hyperloop Transport Technologies (HTT), have been trying to woo India into being a testbed for their technology, which is yet to be proven as a feasible means of transport.

In December 2016, HTT chairman and Chief Bibop Officer Bibop G Gresta had met Prime Minister Modi and transportation minister Nitin Gadkari and announced that hyperloop trials would soon begin in India.

In February 2017, this was followed by a visit from Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd who said that India could have one of its first few hyperloop routes that go live globally and also mentioned that the company is considering opening offices in India.