Bertrand Piccard - that's the name of our new transport capsule. A well-known Swiss adventurer who constantly redefines the boundaries of what is possible. That's exactly what we're trying to do at Swissloop, an association of electrical and mechanical engineering students from ETH Zurich. Over a period of nine months, we are working on the Hyperloop concept, which aims to transport people or goods at speeds exceeding 1000 km/h in a vacuum tube. Although this new technology is still in its early stages, students from around the world are researching and building a prototype.

The new transport capsule

This year, the team was able to make a significant leap forward. In addition to the specially developed motor, a novel levitation system was also built, which stabilizes the transport capsule in both vertical and lateral directions. To withstand the high forces throughout the journey, our chassis was made from a carbon sandwich structure. This allowed us to reduce weight without compromising structural strength. Since this capsule is intended to operate in a vacuum tube in the future, a vacuum-compatible cooling system was also developed. It uses a phase-change material to efficiently store heat.

Good collaboration

One crucial aspect for us this year was choosing a suitable connector for our batteries. These connectors need to withstand high currents at voltages of up to 900VDC, while also functioning reliably and safely. With the help of the highly competent team at Precimation, we were able to find a solution that met these requirements: the PCU series connectors performed this task admirably, thanks to a clever locking mechanism with visual markings. This ensured a reliable power transmission at all times.

Swissloop Presentation

Swissloop engineer the future

Autor: Julia Näf, Electrical Integration Engineer bei Swissloop