The EuroTube Foundation is starting construction of its Hyperloop test facility at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich. Vacuum tests in the chamber are scheduled to begin as early as mid-July. At the same time, student engineering teams from all over the world will be presenting their Hyperloop prototypes.
The EuroTube Foundation is setting up a Hyperloop test facility on the grounds of the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich. The construction of the DemoTube was launched on May 15 with the presentation of the first components of the system, the EuroTube Foundation announced in a press release. First, the vacuum chamber and airlock are set up. The 120-meter-long facility should be fully completed by the end of 2025.
The first vacuum tests are to be carried out in the DemoTube as early as July. The European Hyperloop Week will take place in Zurich for the first time at the same time. Around 20 student teams of budding engineers are expected to test their own Hyperloop prototypes in Dübendorf, explains the EuroTube Foundation.
The foundation was established in 2019 by graduates of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich for research into vacuum transport technology. The Federal Council classified it as a research institution of national importance in 2021. DemoTube becomes part of the European research infrastructure cluster for Hyperloop.
"The launch of the DemoTube by EuroTube project on our campus is a milestone for the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich," Martin Sturzenegger is quoted as saying in the press release. The project underlines the Innovation Park's commitment to innovation and sustainable transportation, says the Managing Director of the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich. "The facility not only serves as a Hyperloop test stand, but also embodies the pursuit of innovation, sustainability and global cooperation."