Tesla’s Hyperloop May Soon Debut in India; Minister Requests for Pilot on Pune-Mumbai Expressway

Soon a 812km long “journey” from Mumbai to Nagpur will be called a “ride”. Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, Mr Nitin Gadkari, is all set to introduce a futuristic way of travel: The Hyperloop.

The Hyperloop transportation system, if implemented, may reduce the 13 hour long travel to just 35 minutes via the Hyperloop. Gadkari informed the media that he has been in talks with Elon Musk to set a trial run for the Hyperloop. Tesla founder and futuristic entrepreneur, Musk has also agreed to trial run the Hyperloop between Mumbai and Pune.

This new type of transport will take it’s maiden step in India if the experiment is successful. It surely introduces a completely new way of travel. The Hyperloop is a capsule that resembles a bus which runs in a tube. The low pressure in the tube will fuel the capsule to cover large distances at a speed of 1,100km per hour. The capsule will move due to the magnetic attraction and the tubes could be below or above ground. This super sonic high speed train is already in construction in Los Angles, USA. The Hyperloop can get you from LA to San Francisco in just 30 minutes covering 381 miles. Musk’s envisioned mode of transport is now being looked at seriously by the Union minister .

Once the Mumbai-Pune experiment proves to be successful, the minister has promised to help Tesla set up a free facility here in India.

The major advantages of deploying the Hyperloop will have to be Zero traffic and promotion of green fuel. Speaking to the media Gadkari said, “I strongly feel that mass rapid transport on run on electricity is our future. Therefore, first priority is to waterways, second to railways and third to roads”

Also promoting the green fuel based approach the minister wants to develop a SEZ to have auto waste generated by the automobile industry can be used to recycle and create new parts.

Announcing the support for the same, he said, “This can reduce the cost by 50 per cent as the cost of raw material will be very less. Besides, every new vehicle one purchases he or she will get some concession from the manufacturer, state government and the centre as there could be saving of at least Rs 3.50 lakh per vehicle.”

After the presentation of the Hyperloop, Gadkari seems to be putting more emphasis on traffic free commute and green based fuel usage, while it’s supersonic speed is an icing on the cake. The minister also expressed grief about the Mumbai Goa highway where the Mahad bridge collapsed causing many deaths. Though the Hyperloop will take years to put into use, the railways seem to be introducing new high speed trains.

As the future of hassle free commute has arrived, we are not very sure if people are going to miss the seat by the window.