Transpod has announced that Sebastien Gendron, founder and CEO of Transpod, will speak at the upcoming TEDx conference in Thunder Bay, Ontario on Friday, June 10, 2016. This TEDx event is organized around the theme of “What Are We Waiting For?” and will feature talks on the latest thinking in physics, transportation, bio-engineering, medical technology, and arts and humanities.
Gendron’s talk will introduce the concept and technology behind hyperloop technology, the 5th mode of transportation after airplanes, trains, automobiles, and boats. With hyperloop, driverless pods carrying passengers or cargo will travel through low-pressure tubes at regular intervals between major cities. Pods will travel at high speeds that are 50% faster than airplanes and 300% faster than trains, and will be powered by renewable energies, unaffected by weather conditions, safe to ride, and affordable to access.
“At Transpod, we see an incredible need to introduce a new form of transportation as an alternative to the relatively expensive, slow, and environmentally harmful means of travel we have today,” said Gendron. “The hyperloop concept has existed since the 1950s and we now have the technology and capacity to bring it to life. It will significantly improve the experience of travel, by minimizing travel costs, maximizing the amount of time spent outside of commuting, and increasing efficiency for companies transporting cargo.”
Some of the benefits of hyperloop technology include the following:
It’s environmentally sustainable.
- Hyperloop has low-power requirements and is powered by renewable energies like solar power.
It’s fast.
- Initial designs project an average speed of 962 kph (or 598 mph). Imagine a hyperloop track that will take passengers from Toronto to Montreal, Canada, or Los Angeles to San Francisco, California, in 30 minutes. Today, it takes just over an hour by plane and approximately five hours by car to go the same distance.
It’s reliable.
- Weather conditions, like thunderstorms, snow storms, and turbulence, will not affect hyperloop as it will travel in a protected tube.
“Transpod is one of the only startups in the world dedicated to making hyperloop a reality,” said Gendron. “Our team of top engineering talent in aerospace, physics, and electromagnetics, combined with expertise from industry partners, is aggressively focused on producing a commercially viable product by 2020. Hyperloop will redefine the transportation framework we see today by allowing commuters to travel further in less time, speed up the exchange of goods, and create opportunities for in-city growth.”
TEDxThunderBay will take place at Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on Friday, June 10, 2016.