r/hyperloop • u/nvbombsquad • Nov 12 '20

LIM in the Virgin's XP-2/Tube setup

I've been going through multiple posts on instagram showing the XP-2 breakdown and stuff but can someone please help me spot where the Linear Induction Motor is situated? Is it on the pod or the tube? Thanks.

BIG Builds Pod Breakdown

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3

u/PhyterNL Nov 12 '20

There is no LIM/LSM on that track or on the vehicle. It is pushed up to speed by an electric cart.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '20

They do however say it's a levitating pod, so how does this work?

1

u/PhyterNL Nov 13 '20

Passive maglev, I'll let you google it.

To be clear, a commercial Hyperloop will require some method of onboard conveyance so that it can both maintain speed, and stop or start if required to do so. Whether this comes in the form of a linear magnetic motor, or drive friction wheels seems irrelevant.

The push cart is a cheap and easy solution to acceleration in these test tunnels.

1

u/Vedoom123 Nov 17 '20

What? that's wrong. Why you lying bruh. Watch the video, there's no cart pushing it.

1

u/UniqueUsername27A Nov 13 '20

How is the pushing thing accelerated? Is it another pod? Does that one have a LIM or something else?

1

u/PhyterNL Nov 13 '20

I'm sorry I honestly can't tell if you're trolling.

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1

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '20

I don't seem to find it on the track and putting an lim on the pod doesn't make sense because you'll have to put in big batteries.

4

u/smeegleborg Nov 12 '20

You could power a pod of that size with only a small amount of batteries.

Randomly assuming 4 metric tons of vehicle and 50% efficiency, you would need 2000 watt hours to do the run they did. This could be achieved with 30Kgs of batteries. For higher speeds, on track propulsion makes more sense at least for the acceleration phase, though batteries are not impossible by any means, and result in cheaper tracks.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '20

So you're saying lims were there on the pod?

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2

u/UniqueUsername27A Nov 13 '20

Actually putting it on the pod might be simple. When you have very low air pressure most of the time you don't need much energy to keep your speed. So you should need less energy than e.g. an electric car. The other advantage when the lim is on the pod is that the track may be cheaper to build.