TransPod, a Canadian startup building the ultra-high-speed ground transportation system – the TransPod Line, unveiled the FluxJet. According to the company, FluxJet is a fully electric vehicle hybrid between an aircraft and a train.
The announcement comes a few months after raising $550M from Broughton Capital Group, in cooperation with China-East Resources Import & Export Co.
“All the hard work over the past few years has led to this milestone moment where talk is becoming a reality. The technology is proven, and we have the confidence of investors, governments, and partners to continue pushing forward to redefine transportation effectively,” says Sebastien Gendron, co-founder, and CEO, TransPod.
Faster than jet
Featuring contactless power transmission and a new field of physics called veillance flux, the FluxJet travels in a protected guideway at over 1000 km/h, which is faster than a jet and three times as fast as a high-speed train, claims the company.
The FluxJet will operate exclusively on the TransPod Line, a network system with stations in key locations and major cities.
In March, the company also announced the next phase of an $18B US infrastructure project to build the TransPod Line to connect the cities of Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Canada.
Preliminary construction work, including the environmental impact assessment, has begun.
140,000 job creation
As per the company’s claims, this critical project will create up to 140,000 jobs and add $19.2B to the region’s GDP throughout construction.
Also, this mode of transportation will cost passengers approximately 44 per cent less than a plane ticket to travel the corridor and reduce CO2 emissions by 636,000 tonnes per year.
This milestone is a major leap forward,” says Ryan Janzen, co-founder, and CTO, TransPod. “The FluxJet is at a nexus of scientific research, industrial development, and massive infrastructure to address passengers’ needs and reduce our dependence on fossil-fuel-heavy jets and highways.”
“TransPod completely changes the game with ultra high-speed, zero-emission passenger travel and freight transportation between major gateway cities,” says Yung Wu, CEO of MaRS Discovery District. “It is time for bold action from our policymakers, investors, and operators to support the commercialization of made-in-Canada innovations like TransPod, to win in the multi-trillion dollar global innovation economy.”
“The FluxJet is a first for Canadian innovation and is the next great infrastructure project to be brought worldwide,” says Janzen. “The TransPod Line is being developed in collaboration with our partners in Europe, USA, and beyond, including universities, research centres, the aerospace industry, architecture, railway, and construction partners.”
