Pune engineer is first Indian to ride hyperloop
Tanay Manjrekar, a power electronics specialist at , helped build the futuristic mode of transport and became one of the first humans to test-ride early this morning.
At 2 am today, while most of India was fast asleep, Pune-born Tanay Manjrekar was set to be strapped inside a deep in the , about to become the first Indian to ride the futuristic mode of transport. A power electronics specialist at Virgin Hyperloop, Manjrekar was part of the team that developed the technology and now one of the first humans to have tested it.
Hyperloop is a new mode of that involves propelling small pods in sealed, low-pressure tubes to speeds upwards of 1,000 kilometres an hour. Conceived by in 2012, the idea was open-sourced for interested companies to develop the technology.
Virgin Hyperloop, which plans to connect Mumbai to Pune in 25 minutes, conducted its first successful passenger run on Sunday at a test facility near Las Vegas. Manjrekar was to participate in the second run early this morning India time. It was around 5.30 am on Monday in Nevada when Mumbai Mirror got in touch with Manjrekar and his communications team. With only a few hours to go, he had joined his team at the and was busy preparing for the big trial. In the test run, Manjrekar was to lead the technical implementation of hyperloop’s power and electronics systems used for propulsion, levitation and guidance.
He said he felt honoured and extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent India in achieving this milestone. “I am ecstatic and absolutely thrilled to ride in the hyperloop. It is so fulfilling to see the years of hard work, dedication and persistence come to fruition after being part of the team that built it,” said Manjrekar. He added, “Working on hyperloop – let alone being one of the first to ride it – is truly a dream come true. It is my hope that India sees the tremendous opportunity here and continues to progress on the Mumbai-Pune hyperloop project”.
Manjrekar joined Virgin Hyperloop in 2016 and was instrumental in developing the control system hardware for the world’s first full-system hyperloop. He has been the engineer responsible for medium voltage system operations throughout testing. Having secured his Bachelor’s degree in electronics and telecommunications from the , he completed his Masters in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.
(L) Tanmay Manjrekar
Hyperloop is a sealed tube or system of tubes with low air pressure through which a pod — usually with two seats — can travel more or less free of air resistance or friction. It could transport people or objects at hypersonic speeds while being very energy efficient. This would drastically reduce travel times versus trains as well as planes over distances of under about 1,500 kilometres.
While several companies such as in the US and Hardt in the Netherlands are working on developing hyperloop systems, Virgin Hyperloop is the only one with its eyes on India. The company’s newly unveiled pod, called XP-2, demonstrates safety-critical systems that will be found on a commercial hyperloop system. It is equipped with a control system that can detect abnormal conditions and rapidly trigger appropriate emergency responses. The production vehicle will be larger and seat up to 28 passengers.
At present, Maharashtra government has deemed the proposed Mumbai-Pune hyperloop a public infrastructure project and chosen the Virgin Hyperloop-DP World Consortium to build it. Following the release of a regulatory guidance document by the United States Department of Transportation’s Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council, Virgin Hyperloop is looking to work with central authorities in India to explore a regulatory path for hyperloop in the country.
Harj Dhaliwal, managing director for Middle East and India, Virgin Hyperloop, said, “Today’s test is a significant step forward towards a commercial hyperloop – perhaps the world’s first – connecting Mumbai with Pune along the existing Expressway. The project would be the largest private infrastructure investment in Maharashtra, creating 1.8 million direct and indirect jobs, and $36 billion in socio-economic benefits.”
Last month, Virgin Hyperloop announced a partnership with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to conduct a feasibility study for a proposed hyperloop corridor from Bangalore Airport. The company also signed a contract with the Punjab government last December.
