•   The Dutch and the Spanish companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate the technical and commercial development of hyperloop, the new mode of ultra-high speed and sustainable land transportation.
• Parties will collaborate closely on a shared development roadmap to achieve technology convergence and interoperability.
•    Companies will work together on hyperloop testing in the Netherlands and Spain. The first step will be to collaboratively test and demonstrate hyperloop technologies at the European Hyperloop Center.

EIT InnoEnergy supported Hyperloop companies Hardt, from the Netherlands, and Zeleros, from Spain, have  signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form a strategic partnership and accelerate the deployment of hyperloop, the mode of land transportation under development, capable of high-speed and driverless operations. In the hyperloop, autonomous vehicles are guided through a low-pressure tube or system of tubes, diminishing rolling friction and aerodynamic friction, with little energy use and land use, for passengers and/or cargo.

Based on the synergies of developing and supplying hyperloop technologies and providing services for the assessment, design, and planning of hyperloop networks, both companies have agreed to enter into a collaboration agreement.

Zeleros and Hardt will work together on the demonstration, de-risking, and implementation of hyperloop technology, prioritizing the development of an interoperable system to enable efficient, seamless transportation of passengers and goods across borders.

Hyperloop technologies are already being tested in Spain and the Netherlands, with pilot projects ongoing such as the European Hyperloop Center (Groningen, the Netherlands) and the HyperTrack (Valencia, Spain). This cooperation will foster sharing lessons during the ongoing testing, starting at the European Hyperloop Center.

Collaboration and partnerships in the mobility sector boost market alignment and potentialize common research and development activities. Taking into account the experiences from other transport industries, Zeleros and Hardt have taken this step forward considering that the joint work from diverse players will accelerate the development and demonstration of hyperloop technologies.

The hyperloop market has shared a collaborative approach since its foundations, and this partnership is another example. Cooperation between all stakeholders is a priority to further accelerate hyperloop development and implementation, as standards and regulations for operations evolve, and projects consider hyperloop as an option for intercity connections.

In this context, both companies seek to achieve an operational pilot route by 2030, prepare for large-scale deployment, and work for an open, accessible, and competitive hyperloop ecosystem. For this, Hardt and Zeleros are working on a collaboration agreement for business and technology convergence.

“Together, we are able to multiply our impact to speed up the process of hyperloop commercialization. We consider this as a first step of collaboration where others can add to further consolidate the hyperloop industry” stated David Pistoni, CEO of Zeleros.

Mars Geuze, co-founder & Chief Hyperloop Officer of Hardt Hyperloop commented: “The signing of this MoU with Zeleros is a great sign of collaboration and convergence within the hyperloop developments. Instead of competing, we are collaborating to make the hyperloop a reality in Europe and beyond.”