(Dis)embarking Hyperloop

Abstract

A proposal of the hyperloop was announced by Elon Musk in 2013. It is a new mode of transportation where vehicles travel in a low-pressure tube to minimise air friction. Hardt Global Mobility is one of the companies developing this new transportation system. One of the main challenges for Hardt is to attain a highly efficient system that also provides a pleasant passenger experience. To this end, this project aims at designing a passenger-centered embarking and disembarking process for Hardt’s hyperloop system, including a relevant passenger environment both in the station and in the vehicle.
The project follows the method Vision in Product Design (ViP). Literature study on pedestrian flow, interview on crowd behaviours and a field study on (dis)-embarking efficiency contribute to insights on (dis)embarking in the past and current context. An observational study and interviews on passengers’ behaviour with their belongings have been carried out in different modes of transportation. Key values for passengers concerning the luggage are discovered. Afterwards, a future vision of global public travel in 2027 is mapped by extensive literature research. Four possible categories of future public travellers are defined as chaser, passionater, criticizer and adapter. The mission of the project is to let criticizers adapt to the unexpected.
With various ideation techniques, four concepts are presented. The Shift concept is chosen to be elaborated further. It is a concept that divides the passenger compartments from luggage space and influences the (dis)embarking flow by the positioning of doors. Multiple doors on both sides of the vehicle allow passengers to embark and drop the hold luggage on one side and disembark and pick up the luggage on the other side.
An iterative testing process is performed to evaluate 12 aspects of the design in terms of concept performance, user experience and feasibilities. By keeping the valid aspects and reshaping the invalid aspects, a final design is presented. Comparing to the traditional (dis)embarking process, the design saves 40% of the time for vehicles to stay on the platform and 50% of the (dis)embarking time for each passenger. A concept video is shown to 13 passengers at Schiphol Plaza for final evaluation. They liked the simple and clear overall process, the efficient and transparent passenger flow and the smooth and safe luggage system. Boarding tolerance, luggage connection for transfer passengers, the height of the luggage belts and preventing luggage from being stuck can be improved.
Recommendations on the other touch points for hyperloop passengers are listed, including guiding passengers to platforms and doors, the interior, facilities for passengers with reduced mobility, the emergency exit and the door-to-door potential of the hyperloop concept.