The Dutch company Hardt Hyperloop has gone bankrupt. The company was founded in 2016 by former members of the Delft Hyperloop student team. What are the consequences for the current dream team?
“It’s especially sad to see a player in the hyperloop sector go bankrupt,” says team captain Elise Terwogt. “But it doesn’t have much impact on us. We were in contact with Hardt, but we are not financially involved. We are completely separate from it.”
The hyperloop is a futuristic transport concept in which capsules, also known as “pods”, travel at enormous speeds through vacuum tubes. The idea began in 2015 as a challenge from Elon Musk to student teams and industry. According to Terwogt, it is difficult to say exactly how big the hyperloop industry currently is. “There are quite a few players involved. Thirty-four teams from all over the world will be participating in the competition this summer.”
The Delft hyperloop team is busy making final preparations for the presentation of their new design. “We build a completely new prototype every year. This year, we have a full-scale model that we can test not only on our own track, but also at the European hyperloop centre in Veendam.”
- The reveal of the new design will take place on Thursday 12 March in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.
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