Delft comes in second in California hyperloop stakes

Delft University of Technology has failed in its attempt to set a new speed record at the third annual hyperloop stakes at the SpaceX track in California on Sunday.

A 37-person strong team of engineers from Delft had to settle for second place in the competition after a design fault in its engine caused the engine to overheat. The half-sized pod reached a speed of only 142 kph when the team had been hoping for a speed of 450 kph.

The hyperloop stakes was won by the WARR hyperloop, a team from Munich university which achieved a speed of 466 kph, setting a new world record.

Space X is an aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company  owned by Elon Musk.

The hyperloop is futuristic: a passenger and freight transport module that propels a pod-like vehicle through a near-vacuum tube at more than airline speed.

In 2018, Delft won the overall prize, based on the points given for design and safety as well as for speed. This year, speed was the only criteria for winning the competition.

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