Posco to supply steel for hyperloop

Posco said it will supply 2,100 tons of hot-rolled steel material to be used in a hyperloop, or a high-speed transportation system where pressurized vehicles travel through a low-pressure tube, at a test facility in the Netherlands.

The steelmaker said it will begin supplying the PosLoop355, specially developed to be used for the hyperloop tube, to Hardt, the Dutch company that is building the European Hyperloop Center, from next month.

The PosLoop355 absorbs vibrations at 1.7 times the rate of general steel materials, and is highly resistant to earthquakes, the steelmaker said.

Hyperloop uses magnets on top of the vehicle to levitate towards the electrical-steel tracks. It is estimated that a hyperloop will use only eight percent of the energy consumed by aircraft, and its construction will cost about half of what it takes to build highways.

About 2,000 tons of steel is expected to be used per kilometer of the tube.

The first 275 tons of PosLoop355 will be used for the 450-meter hyperloop test route in Veendam, Groningen of the Netherlands, Posco said.

Another 1,800 tons will be supplied by 2025 for a 2.7-kilometer segment of the test route.

Hardt has the technology that allows hyperloop capsules to change tracks while moving at high speeds.

Posco has participated in joint research with Tata Steel Nederland since 2020 to develop an exclusive steel material for hyperloop and structural solutions for the Dutch government-led hyperloop development project.

Posco had its customer SeAh Steel build a 64-meter-long tube with a diameter of 2.5 meters, using 63 tons of the 275 tons of PosLoop355 for initial delivery, and deliver directly to Hardt in a bid to promote Korean firms’ tube manufacturing technology.

“Posco will work together with Posco Europe, Posco International and SeAh Steel to manufacture steel products for hyperloop to become a global leader in the future eco-friendly mobility market,” said Kim Dae-eop, chief of Posco’s hot-rolled steel marketing.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)