VALENCE. The Zeleros company continues to advance in the development of technologies for the implementation of the hyperloop, a means of terrestrial transport with which it is expected to reach maximum speeds of 1,200 kilometers / hours and makes a journey of six hours for 35 minutes by car. The way in which the Valencian technology company walks through sectors such as aviation, the automotive industry and the maritime sector.
To this end, the company has projects at its disposal that range from the experience of cargo transport in the Port of Sagunto to the Perte-Vec1 project to design a machine for the production of the main electric mobility. “These projects are important because we respond to the automotive, electric aviation and maritime sectors. If you make the most powerful batteries, you can serve many vehicles that the market needs now”, says Juan Vicén, co-founder and CMO of Zeleros.
And the company, which has grown to 60 employees in recent years, remains in business for a long time. 2030 is the year that many companies are aiming for the development of this vehicle, in order to carry out the first tests with passengers. The ecosystem of technologies that Zeleros has developed both in the Port of Sagunto and in the experimental plant in Paterna (Valencia).
The technology company will also bring its prototype back to Valencia this month after passing through the Dubai fair, as well as Madrid and Berlin. It can already be seen between March 21 and 23 at the World Congress eMobility Expo. Over the past few years, the company has met many milestones that position it closer to reality. “The lift, the thrust and the linear motor that launches the vehicle are systems that have been tested in the factory,” says Vicén.
He ordered Zelerus to the north to try the turbine engine; With Arcelor, a steel partner, they tested a wheel that spins at 600 kilometers per hour, which gives them information about the materials. Meanwhile, in the Paterna ship, they can lift up to 500 kilos, which would be the weight of a vehicle that would travel on a track of 4 kilometers. “The team is developing the capabilities so that, by 2030, the talent is ready. We can’t say that the current battles will be hyperloop, because the technology changes, but we are going to train and have a strong battle machine for that, when we get closer to 2030, we are ready to mount it”, designates
Waiting for the test track
The company was hoping to build a 100-meter test in Puerto de Sagunto, but the material crisis doubled the costs and for the moment they will try with the 20 meters they have already built. This will be a pre-commercial plan as the vessel will not currently be moved from port to port, but to model. But it will allow to carry out tests at different speeds that will try to extrapolate the port’s activity in the second phase.
In the meantime, they are waiting for the Government to decide whether or not to build a 14 kilometer track in Castilla La Mancha. “There is space, financing, but the political decision has not arrived. In this sense, we are waiting for an answer in countries like Belgium, Italy or Korea”, says the author Zeleros. Vicen emphasizes the importance of cooperation with the other seven companies that work with this transport model. “We have been cooperating for some time not only in this, but in regulation, standards, and from 2025 the European Union hopes to have standards for the role, and that can make the basis for people”, he confirms.
I am looking for an investment
At this time, the company’s biggest investment came in secrecy. “We have raised a total of fifteen million, we are going to invest more, we have more than 5 million with Europe and that will give us a base to establish ourselves. Some of the way that Space PLD will take”, he acknowledges. . Now, looking for money to be invested, those who see investment with less risk, see the support of large companies and large industrial areas where they can contribute such as aviation, railways, construction.
The company has attracted talent from Germany, France and Italy to Valencia and from the companies Talgo, Safrani or Bluebull. Among all workers, 60% are engineers. “In Valencia we have the combination of an innovative project with a beautiful city to live in,” he said. Meanwhile, Zeleros receives visits from those interested in Japan, Australia, Korea, Malaysia or the US. They came from all over the world, he says.
The whole sector of the European Union is waiting for safe standards and connectivity between countries as well as sustainability. “We have to ensure that it is a more effective system than the others and that it is controlled,” he emphasizes. Zeleros hopes that the trade route will be available between 2030 and 2040, although it is still too early to predict which countries will be the first to join.
