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ArcelorMittal partners with IIT Madras to build Asia’s 1st Hyperloop facility, ET Infra

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<p>Representative Image</p>
Representative Image

NEW DELHI: One of the world’s largest steel producers, Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal, has entered into a partnership with Indian Institute of Technology, Madras to create Asia’s first Hyperloop facility.

ArcelorMittal and its joint venture company ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India will provide materials and engineering resources to construct Asia’s first Hyperloop testing facility at IIT Madras campus, which is expected to be operational by March end, the company said in a statement.

ArcelorMittal will be working closely with Avishkar Hyperloop, a student team and TuTr Hyperloop, a start-up incubated at IIT Madras, which are undertaking development of cost effective Hyperloop technology for passenger and cargo mobility at scale.

“ArcelorMittal and AM/NS (ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel) India are providing foundational steel materials, as well as engineering, design and project management expertise to support the creation of India’s and Asia’s first Hyperloop test track at IIT Madras’ 163-acre Discovery Campus at Thaiyur, on the outskirts of Chennai,” the statement said.

Hyperloop is a ground-based transportation technology concept, both for passengers and cargo, wherein pods inside vacuum tubes will be accelerated through a propulsion system at ultra-high speeds.

“This is a hugely exciting project to be part of. IIT Madras is at the vanguard of deep-tech development in India, and TuTr Hyperloop’s technology and tenacity inspire great confidence about their potential to be pioneers in Hyperloop, a mobility transition industry in which steel would have an important role to play.” said Pinakin Chaubal, Chief Technology Officer, ArcelorMittal.

ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India will supply about 400 tonnes of steel for the fabrication of a 400-metre vacuum tube at the site, in which autonomous, levitating pods will be tested at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour. Experienced engineers from ArcelorMittal’s design and engineering arm will provide assistance to the Hyperloop team, oversee project progress and provide design and engineering expertise during the installation process.

“We are extremely delighted with ArcelorMittal’s partnership for this deep-tech initiative which will significantly accelerate our efforts to commercialize Hyperloop technology. This dream collaboration between Government, Academia, and Industry has the potential to create an efficient, sustainable, and affordable mass mobility technology for the future – from India for the World.” said Aravind S. Bharadwaj, Mentor of the Hyperloop Technology Development Team at IIT Madras and Co-Founder, TuTr Hyperloop.

Earlier in December 2022, TuTr Hyperloop signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Tata Steel, to jointly work on development and deployment of Hyperloop technology at scale, an aim which ArcelorMittal is also seeking to achieve with its partnership and to validate the techno-commercial prospects of Hyperloop technology.

The government is encouraging the development of in-house Hyperloop technology through collaboration between academia and industry, with the Ministry of Railways having made an initial funding of Rs. 8.34 crore to IIT Madras.

In November, in an interview with the Press Trust of India, Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, outlined that development of Hyperloop for transportation is unlikely to happen in India in near future as the technology, first conceptualised in developed western countries, is yet to mature and is not commercially viable at present.

However, a broader policy framework which will define the standards and technology parameters for Hyperloop in India is still in the making with NITI Aayog working on a report on technological and commercial feasibility.

  • Published On Jan 3, 2024 at 03:43 PM IST

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