Spirit AeroSystems is partnering with Virgin Hyperloop as it prepares to move towards commercialisation. The collaboration will help to solidify the Hyperloop prototype with the help of Spirit Aerosystems engineers, fabricators, builders, supply chain and certification experts and technicians.
Josh Giegel, Virgin Hyperloop chief technology officer, said: “As one of the most credible aerospace-grade structures companies in the world, Spirit Aerosystems provides a strong fit for our team as we look to build out strong partners in the Hyperloop ecosystem.”
Hyperloop is a new mode of transportation designed to eliminate the barriers of distance and time for both people and freight. It can travel at speeds approaching 700mph, connecting cities like metro stops — and it has zero direct emissions.
With Hyperloop, vehicles, called pods, accelerate gradually via electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube. The pod floats along the track using magnetic levitation and glides at airline speeds for long distances due to ultra-low aerodynamic drag.
The Hyperloop supply chain is unique in the way it integrates existing technology with proprietary innovations to deliver a completely new transport experience. The pod is similar to an aircraft fuselage in a low pressure environment, the columns similar to those of a pipeline, and the pressure management system similar to those used in industrial operations such as manufacturing semiconductors.
Keith Hamilton, Spirit Executive director of programs and business development, said: “As a new form of mass transportation, Hyperloop opens up a new segment of diversification for us in the transportation space. Our collaboration with Virgin Hyperloop is a prime example of our belief that this burgeoning industry is a game changer. Through leveraging our values and core competencies of designing and manufacturing aerostructures, many of the skills are transferable to produce the Hyperloop bogie.”
This new transit mode is forecast to unlock exponential growth opportunities for cross-industry manufacturing and development jobs in construction, aerospace, rail, automotive, aviation, electric vehicles and autonomous control and has the potential to create thousands of jobs. As Virgin Hyperloop looks to create the first Hyperloop Certification Center in the USA, it is expected to bring thousands of jobs for first movers of the technology and its partners.
Virgin Hyperloop is the only company in the world that has successfully tested Hyperloop technology at scale, launching the first new mode of mass transportation in over 100 years. The company has successfully demonstrated a full-scale Hyperloop vehicle using electric propulsion and electromagnetic levitation under near-vacuum conditions.