Hyperloop TT unveils design for high-speed freight operation


Nick Webster
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Once hailed as the future of high-speed sustainable transport, the ambitious plans for a Hyperloop passenger network faded into the background when world travel ground to a halt during the global pandemic.

A resurrection of the technology to deliver cargo at high speed between freight terminals now appears under way with the release of a new design from a leading Hyperloop company and €800 million ($851 million) of funding for a first commercial network in Italy.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a Los Angeles-based company with offices in Dubai, is pressing ahead with an express freight operation that promises fast unloading and loading to relieve pressure from congested shipping terminals.

"Hyperloop Express Freight will fundamentally transform how goods are transported globally,” said Andres de Leon, chief executive of HyperloopTT, in a statement on Monday.

“By incorporating key innovations like fast automated loading systems, maximised freight capacity and flexible configurations, we have developed a hyperloop design optimised for transporting freight at unprecedented speeds at cheaper rates than currently offered by air and road.”

HyperloopTT Express Freight will enable fast onboarding of freight with staggered doors for simultaneous loading and unloading, double doors on both sides of the capsules and a fast, energy-efficient rollerball loading system.

Specially designed capsules can fit standard air cargo containers by lowering the floor to maximise freight volume.

“This new standard for shipping will enable greater efficiency, sustainability and flexibility in supply chains worldwide,” said Mr de Leon.

“We are proud to be leading the way in this transportation revolution."

Space X and Virgin projects

The concept of transporting passengers using vacuum tube technology has existed since the late 19th century.

Huge investments from private companies and entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk and Richard Branson, edged the technology closer to reality with working designs of magnetically levitated pods, capable of travel at speeds approaching 1,000 kilometres per hour.

Building entirely new infrastructure to develop the technology further appears to have been a major stumbling block, despite interest in developing freight and cargo systems around the world, including in the UAE.

It was announced in November that Mr Musk’s SpaceX Hyperloop project would be indefinitely shelved.

With its staggered doors and rollerball technology, the latest designs from Hyperloop TT show how freight transport systems could be revolutionised in the near future.

It is three years since Virgin Hyperloop successfully tested passenger pods in the Nevada desert, albeit at speeds of only 160kph, a fraction of estimated capabilities.

The company, which is majority-owned by DP World, has since restructured and is focused on developing the technology for cargo.

DP World Cargospeed, a partnership between DP World and Virgin Hyperloop, was established to provide hyperloop-enabled cargo systems for the delivery of palletised cargo around the world.

DP World declined to comment on its current plans for the technology.

Trade and retail logistics are experiencing a huge period of growth, post-pandemic.

According to Precedence Research, the global retail logistics market size is expected to see annual growth of 12.4 per cent and will exceed $465 billion by 2030.

That expansion is likely to place considerable pressures on supply chain and port management, with Jebel Ali Port one of the world’s busiest shipping hubs.

Italy could get first network

Hyperloop TT said it has made significant progress in enabling technology to manage the anticipated growth.

The company has secured more than 40 patents and established an insurance network and safety certification guidelines.

In May, Hyperloop TT and its partners were awarded an €800 million tender to build a 25-mile commercial Hyperloop route from Padua to Venice in Italy.

Meanwhile, in China, government-backed projects also have momentum using similar technology. In the north of the country, researchers have already tested a maglev train running in a low vacuum pipeline in the Shanxi province reaching speeds of 130kph along a 2km track.

China's first city-to-city route could be developed between the coastal cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou, according to state media.

Design consultants Tangerine, who worked on Hyperloop TT's freight concept, said the project would accelerate cargo delivery and make it more efficient.

“What we have designed is a solution for express freight,” said Matt Round, chief creative officer at Tangerine.

“Our research made it clear that every creative thought we had and every design decision we made should contribute to reducing the time it takes to move freight from dispatch to delivery.

“Our solution is a melange of creative leaps and strict mathematical calculations."

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Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars

Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

India team for Sri Lanka series

Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Votes

Total votes: 1.8 million

Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes

Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes 

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The drill

Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.

Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”

Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”

Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.” 

Key changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Where to submit a sample

Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain

Updated: October 24, 2023, 12:05 PM