VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

A Virginia Commonwealth University student team — part of an elite group of 20 teams selected internationally to advance to the final round of the 2018 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition this summer — today unveiled its fully constructed pod vehicle to the Richmond community.  

The competition challenges university teams to design and build the best transport pod for Hyperloop, a high-speed ground transport concept by SpaceX founder Elon Musk. The primary criterion is achieving maximum speed with the self-propelled vehicle.

Hyperloop at VCU comprises more than 40 students in the fields of engineering, business, arts and humanities and sciences. Students built the 69-by-23-by-22-inch pod at Build, RVA ­— a community makerspace and product incubator — working mostly at night to accommodate jobs and internships.

“I am so proud of our students, who give us a glimpse into the future of transportation for materials and people, all at higher speeds than we can imagine,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “And this is no surprise. At VCU, we’re used to doing what seems impossible to others, to tackling the problems that will move humanity forward. They represent us well and personify our greatest commitment to tackle social problems and advance the social good.”

Hyperloop at VCU is part of the Vertically Integrated Projects program within the College of Engineering. The VIP program provides undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in multiyear, multidisciplinary, team-based projects under the guidance of faculty and graduate students in their areas of expertise. It enables the completion of large-scale design projects that are of significant benefit to associated research programs.

“The VIP program gives students at all stages of their education the opportunity to learn to mentor as well as to solve complex problems that require a transdisciplinary approach for their solution. The success of our HyperLoop team reflects the creativity and innovation that is the heart of VCU and shows the power of VIP experiential learning,” said Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., dean of the VCU College of Engineering and Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Chair.

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The frame of the VCU Hyperloop pod is sheet metal with a fiberglass shell optimized for minimal drag in high-speed applications. Internal components include electronic controls, mechanical components, propulsion systems, batteries and brake system. The pod’s calculated speed is more than 100 mph. It will be shipped to SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, for testing by early July. Teams whose pods pass safety and speed requirements during the testing week will race on July 22.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story stated the Hyperloop pod’s calculated speed would be more than 200 mph. It's calculated speed is more than 100 mph.