Full-scale hyperloop system
In 2017, HyperloopTT established the European Hyperloop Research and Development Center at Aerospace Valley in Toulouse, France. The 32,300-square-foot facility housed a full-scale hyperloop test track connected to a commercially viable vacuum system, along with a full-scale passenger capsule fuselage.
From 2018 to 2024, tests were conducted at this facility to validate the performance of the HyperloopTT system and its components in a low-pressure environment.
Collaborating with over twenty local and regional companies, universities, and other organizations, HyperloopTT achieved numerous critical testing milestones, including:
- Construction of a 320-meter test track with full-scale tubes and pylons
- Depressurization of the track to below 0.1 mbar (10 Pa)
- Repressurization systems using electropneumatic valves
- Tube air leakage and energy measurement to optimize and maintain low pressure
- Propulsion control testing with small-scale embedded magnets and a full-scale Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) with integrated power electronics
- Magnetic levitation tests
- Heat dissipation testing of the linear motor in a vacuum test bench
- Development of an Operations Control Center (OCC) with Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) connected to a safety-certified controller for integration with partner systems
- Integration of a Traffic Management System developed in partnership with Hitachi Rail
Regulators from around the world visited the site to observe, learn about the technology, and contribute to the development of government safety guidelines.
As the land at Francazal could not support the next phase of Hyperloop certification, HyperloopTT began searching for a larger test site capable of accommodating the tens of kilometers needed to advance the system, marking the conclusion of this phase of the project.
