Andhra Pradesh may soon kickstart a feasibility study to develop a Hyperloop between Amaravati and Vijayawada, as the state government joined hands with the US-based company on Wednesday. The technology however is far from being fully developed.
According to a PTI report, the AP Economic Development Board (AP-EDB) and US-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Amaravati, but did not disclose the probable cost of the project.
A press release said that the project will be taken up via Public Private Partnership, and the feasibility study is scheduled to start next month.
APEDB Chief Executive Officer Krishna Kishore, speaking to Mirror, said that major cities of the world have seen “declines in livability and transportation,” and this is due to air pollution and congestion.
“By collaborating with Hyperloop, Amravati is embracing a prototype for the mobility of tomorrow," he added.
Wired reported that the Hyperloop connecting the cities of Vijayawada and Amaravati would transform a 43-km drive, which usually takes an hour, into a six-minute spurt.
Hyperloop, an idea from Tesla CEO and SpaceX Founder Elon Musk, boasts of a transportation system which proposes to propel a pod-like vehicle through a near-vacuum tube at nearly 1,100 km per hour and above.
The pod lifts off the track using magnetic levitation and glides at aircraft speeds for long distances, owing to ultra-low aerodynamic drag.
Last month, Hyperloop One successfully tested its prototype passenger pod, which achieved speeds of up to 320 km per hour.
The startup tested its first-generation 'XP-1' passenger pod, and travelled for 300 metres as it levitated off the track.
This test had come a month after the successful completion of the world's first full systems Hyperloop test in a vacuum environment.
The company has developed a test track titled ‘DevLoop’ in the Nevada Desert in the United States of America.
The company has been eyeing India as a key customer for the developing technology.
In February this year, Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One, met the then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and promised to revolutionise transport in the country.