World's first full-scale Hyperloop passenger capsule unveiled
San Francisco, Oct 2 : US-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) on Tuesday unveiled its first full-scale transportation capsule at Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain, which will be ready for passengers in 2019.
The 32-metre "Quintero One" passenger capsule will be delivered to HyperloopTT's research and development centre in Toulouse, France, for additional assembly and integration into the system before it is used on one of the first commercial tracks, the company said in a statement.
"In 2019, this capsule will be fully optimised and ready for passengers," said Bibop Gresta, chairman and co-founder of HyperloopTT.
"Since we have taken major steps in solving government regulations with our safety certification guidelines and insurance frameworks, we are now closer than ever to bringing Hyperloop to the world," Gresta added.
The 5-tonne capsule has 72 sensors, 75,000 rivets and 7,200 square metres of fibre. It is constructed completely out of HyperloopTT's "Vibranium", a specially made dual-layer smart composite material.
"The creation of this capsule represents over a year long journey of the best expertise in design, engineering and the development of cutting edge materials," said Dirk Ahlborn, HyperloopTT co-founder and CEO.
HyperloopTT in May this year proposed to set up the Hyperloop transportation system in India's Andhra Pradesh state, connecting Anantapur-Amaravati-Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam as part of 700-800-km-long integrated public transit system.
The Maharashtra government earlier signed a pact with the Richard Branson-led Virgin Group to build the Mumbai-Pune Hyperloop.
HyperloopTT is also set to build the first Hyperloop system in China as the company struck a deal in the country to build a test track in Guizhou province.
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Supreme Court rejects plea for reverting to ballots in elections
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking to revert to ballot paper voting in elections in the country.
"What happens is, when you win the election, EVMs (electronic voting machine) are not tampered. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered (with)," remarked a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale.
Apart from ballot paper voting, the plea sought several directions including a directive to the Election Commission to disqualify candidates for a minimum of five years if found guilty of distributing money, liquor or other material inducement to the voters during polls.
When petitioner-in-person K A Paul said he filed the PIL, the bench said, "You have interesting PILs. How do you get these brilliant ideas?".
The petitioner said he is the president of an organisation which has rescued over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows.
"Why are you getting into this political arena? Your area of work is very different," the bench retorted.
After Paul revealed he had been to over 150 countries, the bench asked him whether each of the nations had ballot paper voting or used electronic voting.
The petitioner said foreign countries had adopted ballot paper voting and India should follow suit.
"Why you don't want to be different from the rest of the world?" asked the bench.
There was corruption and this year (2024) in June, the Election Commission announced they had seized Rs 9,000 crore, Paul responded.
"But how does that make your relief which you are claiming here relevant?" asked the bench, adding "if you shift back to physical ballot, will there be no corruption?".
Paul claimed CEO and co-founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, stated that EVMs could be tampered with and added TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the current chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, and former state chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had claimed EVMs could be tampered with.
"When Chandrababu Naidu lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with. Now this time, Jagan Mohan Reddy lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with," noted the bench.
When the petitioner said everybody knew money was distributed in elections, the bench remarked, "We never received any money for any elections."
The petitioner said another prayer in his plea was the formulation of a comprehensive framework to regulate the use of money and liquor during election campaigns and ensuring such practices were prohibited and punishable under the law.
The plea further sought a direction to mandate an extensive voter education campaign to raise awareness and importance of informed decision making.
"Today, 32 per cent educated people are not casting their votes. What a tragedy. If democracy will be dying like this and we will not be able to do anything then what will happen in the years to come in future," the petitioner said.
