Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canadian Hyperloop Company Says Governments Need To Support Innovation

The Canadian Press, 28 Jun, 2018 12:26 PM
    A Canadian hyperloop company is threatening to relocate its headquarters to Europe unless it gets political support at home for the implementation of its technology that would transport goods and passengers through tubes at airplane speeds.
     
     
    Transpod CEO and co-founder Sebastien Gendron says politicians need to step up if they are serious about supporting innovation in Canada.
     
     
    The company's proposed elevated network of pods would travel through low-pressure tubes at 1,000 kilometres per hour.
     
     
    He says that would cut transit time between Montreal and Toronto to less than an hour and relieve highway and airport congestion.
     
     
    A second line could connect Calgary and Edmonton in about half that time.
     
     
    Gendron says the system could be ready to carry passengers in the early 2030s after first being used for light freight such as e-commerce and perishable food.
     
     
    He says the transportation corridors would be privately owned, likely by Canadian pension funds, construction firms and other investors, while Transpod would supply the technology and pods.
     
     
    The company says it has received interest from such partners but no formal commitments to date.
     
     
    Toronto-based Transpod is competing against billionaires Elon Musk and Richard Branson, who are looking to build their own hyperloop networks.
     
     
    However, Gendron says his company offers better technology and a lower cost per kilometre than its rivals.
     
     
    Construction of a three-kilometre track in France belonging to Transpod and its investors is expected to be ready for testing by next June. A 10-km test track along Highway 7 in Alberta could be ready by 2022 if it wins provincial support. Construction would begin in 2020 and form a section of the eventual transportation corridor.
     
     
    Canadian and European hyperloop companies are developing an international partnership to standardize the methodology and framework to regulate vacuum-based hyperloop travel systems.
     
     
    They want to work with regulators to ensure time isn't wasted in meeting government requirements for certification.
     
     
    Transport Canada says the government is watching the international commercialization of hyperloop technology closely. 
     
     
    A department spokeswoman adds that its Transportation 2030 initiative is working to modernize Canada's transportation sector through updated regulations, investments in infrastructure and the promotion of new transportation technologies.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    'Hot Dog Water' Seller In Vancouver Gets Laughs, Sales With Savvy Marketing

    'Hot Dog Water' Seller In Vancouver Gets Laughs, Sales With Savvy Marketing
    A Vancouver man who sold bottles of "Hot Dog Water" for nearly $40 each says he was trying to see how marketing of health claims backed by supposed science amounts to quick sales.

    'Hot Dog Water' Seller In Vancouver Gets Laughs, Sales With Savvy Marketing

    Woman's Death Near Fort St. James, B.C., Considered Suspicious: RCMP

    Woman's Death Near Fort St. James, B.C., Considered Suspicious: RCMP
    FORT ST. JAMES, B.C. — Police are investigating a woman's death in northern British Columbia.

    Woman's Death Near Fort St. James, B.C., Considered Suspicious: RCMP

    Two Adults And Child Killed When Truck And Car Collide In British Columbia

    Two Adults And Child Killed When Truck And Car Collide In British Columbia
      The RCMP say the accident happened shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of highways 97 and 99 north of Cache Creek.

    Two Adults And Child Killed When Truck And Car Collide In British Columbia

    Young N.B. Mom Marissa Shephard Jailed For Life In Murder Of Teenager Stabbed 200 Times

    Young N.B. Mom Marissa Shephard Jailed For Life In Murder Of Teenager Stabbed 200 Times
    Marissa Shephard, who is in her early 20s, will have no chance of parole for 25 years, Judge Zoel Dionne ruled Friday.

    Young N.B. Mom Marissa Shephard Jailed For Life In Murder Of Teenager Stabbed 200 Times

    Lorne Grabher Wins $750 From Province Amid Lengthy Battle Over Licence Plate

    Lorne Grabher Wins $750 From Province Amid Lengthy Battle Over Licence Plate
    The Nova Scotia government has to reimburse a retiree for a court skirmish over a report suggesting a licence plate bearing his last name supports sexual violence against women.

    Lorne Grabher Wins $750 From Province Amid Lengthy Battle Over Licence Plate

    Coroner Issues Warning As Swimmer Dies, Boater Missing This Week In B.C. Waters

    Coroner Issues Warning As Swimmer Dies, Boater Missing This Week In B.C. Waters
    The BC Coroner's Service has issued a warning about water safety as the drowning toll reaches five in the province this month.

    Coroner Issues Warning As Swimmer Dies, Boater Missing This Week In B.C. Waters