Helping Students Build the Future of Public Transportation

Pepperl+Fuchs is a proud sponsor of the uWinLoop and SCCLoop team, comprised of University of Windsor and St. Clair College students, for SpaceX’s 2019 Hyperloop Pod Competition. This first-of-its-kind competition challenges university students to build a functional, scaled-down pod prototype that can propel itself at high speed within 100 feet of the end of SpaceX’s vacuum test track before stopping.

Hyperloop technology uses electric propulsion in a low-pressure tube to propel a pod along a track using magnetic levitation. The goal is to be able to transport people or goods at speeds of over 620 miles per hour. SpaceX—a rocket and spacecraft company spearheaded by Elon Musk—encourages universities to participate in the development of this high-speed technology that has the potential to revolutionize mass transit.

The uWinLoop/SCCLoop team, based out of Windsor, Ontario, has advanced to the final round of SpaceX’s competition and will compete against 20 other teams from around the world. The final round will take place July 21 in Hawthorne, California at SpaceX headquarters.

It took the team a year of planning and five months of building to finish the pod. At 11.5 feet long, 33 inches wide, and 25 inches tall, the pod uses a linear induction motor to create a magnetic field for locomotion, which is unique to the competition.  

The Windsor team raised more than $150,000 in donations, sponsorships, and in-kind contributions to fund the construction of its pod.

“From all of us here at uWinLoop we are very grateful for all of Pepperl+Fuchs' support,” said uWinLoop Founder and President Stefan Sing.