Welcome to the first ever edition of the Shift Hyperloop newsletter!

This is going to be an in-depth edition to wrap up the last year, and we are really excited to show you what we have been working on. At least we hope that you get a good introduction to who we are and what we do.

At Shift Hyperloop we truly believe in making the world of transportation, cheaper, faster and sustainable. And we aim to do this while creating the best engineers through practical experience.

The SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition 2020 is a continuation to the 4-year tradition of students pushing for a faster future. Now it’s up to the Shift Hyperloop Team to bring the first Scandinavian hyperloop pod alive!

Come and join us on this exciting adventure!

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”

Jonathan S.BognæsCEO

Welcome!

About Shift and Hyperloop

What is this hyperloop I have been hearing so

much about?Hyperloop is a transportation concept

where a levitating high-speed train travels in a depressurised tube. The concept is not new and has seen many iterations

throughout its lifetime.

The idea of using depressurised tubes for low resistance transportation was first conceived by the British inventor George

Medhurst in 1799, though we had to wait a hundred years for someone to couple the concept with levitation technology, making

it into the hyperloop we know today.

It was the American professor and physicist Robert Goddard that first invented the modern hyperloop concept. Coined

“vactrain”, Goddard envisioned a high-speed transit system driven by magnetic levitation inside a vacuum tube, theorised at the time of being capable of reaching

speeds of thousands of km/h.

Fast forward into the 21st century and the hype for hyperloop is greater than

ever. Breathing new air into the concept, business magnate and philanthropist Elon Musk published a white paper where he

renamed the concept “hyperloop”, interest in hyperloop was quickly revitalised.

Soon student teams dedicated to making hyperloop a reality popped up all over the

world.

Who are Shift Hyperloop?

Shift Hyperloop was officially founded 1. February 2019 by 10 students with a common goal; developing a green and

efficient transportation method, using the engineers of tomorrow.

Taking inspiration from the many other student organisations at NTNU, Shift works on a 1-year cycle. Every year we take up a completely new team that are tasked with designing and building a hyperloop pod to be tested at SpaceX Hyperloop Pod

Competition in California.

While Shift is not directly connected to NTNU, we enjoy a close and mutually

beneficial relationship with the university. While NTNU attracts and educates the

sharpest minds in Norway, Shift enriches the study course by giving students hands-on experience that is normally unavailable for engineering students. We also provide the university with bachelor- and master-

theses for graduating students.

Shift is primarily an organisation meant to teach and educate NTNU students.

However, we are also the youth tasked with solving the massive challenges the world is facing. As such you can expect to see Shift advocating for green measures and further research on how we can combat climate

change.

At the electrical team we design and assemble the circuit boards that are used on the pod, along with the code that is necessary for them to work and communicate with each other. We use a wide range of sensors to collect valuable data for the pod, some of which are sent to our base station through the telemetry system. We’re also in charge of all the batteries on the pod, which supplies 24V for the low voltage system and about 500V for the electrical motors.

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” Erlend H.HonningdalsnesCTO - Electrical team

The High-Voltage team is working on perhaps the most exciting subsystem at electronics. Dealing with custom designed batteries rated at more than 500V at near vacuum. The power will certainly come in handy when the pod goes at full throttle.

While production of the battery cells has been halted due to the coronavirus outbreak, the team has made great progress working on the battery management system alongside the powertrain team over at Magnetics.

High voltage battery system

Working at ElectricWorking at electric is both educational and fun. Few on the team had any prior experience with the system they would be working on, some had even never heard about the system they would be spending the coming year on. Reading up on all the technical jargon can be jarring, but when working on high-tech systems it’s unavoidable. Thankfully at Shift we got some great mentors that supervise and guide each group towards success.

Communication is key when working on large projects and it’s a great learning experience trying to communicate across the different fields Shift covers. Yet it’s very rewarding as you gain new like-minded friends that you spend long nights together working on the project, and nothing beats finally seeing your hard work come life after weeks of debugging.

SensorsNo system is safe without sensors keeping a watchful eye over it. Be it monitoring the voltage over critical components, temperature of the batteries or the velocity of the pod, our Sensors team will make sure any anomalies are detected and reported.

Inside the monotony of the tube it’s difficult to know precisely where you are and how you move. To handle this problem our team has implemented IMU sensors by VectorNav that will help us keep track of the position and speed of the pod.

PCB productionHottest topic right now is circuit board testing. With PCB and components ready for assembly, the team is busy soldering and testing their designs. For many this is their first experience designing circuit boards and there are bound to be flaws that needs to be fixed. However, a few exploding capacitors is not enough to deter the team and progress is going steady.

Looking aheadAt electronics, all the various components we need are arriving, finally giving our members the opportunity to test their designs. Seeing their faces light up as their components arrive certainly makes all the effort worth it. With components ready for testing, our current focus is finalising the testing phase of the first revision of our circuit boards. Any problems or weaknesses must be resolved, and new revised designs needs to be sent to our board partner NCAB for production.

Looking forward, we can’t wait to prepare for full system testing. Sensors, wiring, telemetry, batteries and safety systems, full system testing is true to its name, and will push all our designs to the edge of their specifications, ensuring the safety of our pod when going at full speed in a vacuum tube. Stay tuned!

Working at Electric

The vision that is Hyperloop has always been innovating, and in Shift Hyperloop this is one of our core goals. At an early stage, we concluded that we wanted to work with contactless propulsion and levitation. At Magnetics, we are making this vision become reality.

Linear induction motors and Halbach arrays are not topics classified as elementary, and the task has at times seemed daunting. Going into production, I’m highly excited to see the results of all our work.

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” Sigmund H.HøegCTO - Magnetic team

Working at MagneticWorking at Magnetic is perhaps the most technical challenging task at Shift. As every sub-group got a highly complex system to design, and with limited experience beforehand, the learning curve can be precipitous. Luckily the problems are stimulating and fun to work on, which is a necessity when working hours starts to creep towards midnight.

Work consist of a lot of research and simulations to fine-tune the system to our need. While this can be a finicky job, it’s excellent working experience that few universities can offer. Working with an industrial partner in Alva Industries will also hone your communication skills and is a great way to learn how to communicate across organisations.

LevitationWorking on the most futuristic technology, a position at the Levitation team was the most sought-after position in all of Shift. The only group at Magnetics that work with magnets, this group is tasked with designing and simulating the levitation system of the pod.

Being a Norwegian team and all, it’s to be expected that our pod is fitted with skis. Outfitted with Halbach arrays as two skis below the pod, the system will provide the hallmark attribute of hyperloop and ensure frictionless travel in the tube

Inverter

InverterWorking on what might be the most complex device on the pod, the three-phase inverter, the Inverter team might just have the toughest task at Shift. The inverter must take the power from our high-voltage battery and turn it into three-phase power for our linear induction motor.

As the largest group at Shift, being able to converse about complex systems is key for efficient work. However, if you manage to overcome this challenge, there is nothing that beats working with like-minded people which inevitably will become great friends.

Looking aheadSo far the focus at Magnetics have been research and simulation of the various sub-systems. Reading up on several different ways to implement propulsion and/or levitation. After research had been completed, time have been spent analysing and simulating the sub-systems. With all this work concluded, our partnership with Alva Industries couldn’t come at a better time.

In the coming months we will produce a linear induction motor with the help of Alva. Once completed, we can work towards a full system test of the pod, which no doubt is the most exciting part for the whole team.

PropulsionIt goes without saying that the pod needs a motor. The Propulsion team is tasked with the design and implementation of a linear induction motor for contactless propulsion.

As a highly difficult task, we are happy to have partnered up with Alva Industries for an implementation of their own patented technology on a linear induction motor.

In the mechanical team we are working on the physical design of the pod, and the different sub-systems that don’t use electrical power. We are designing a chassis structure, mechanical emergency-brakes, a suspension-system and an aero-shell. In addition to these sub-systems we are designing a test-rig where we can run a motor and brake-test.

The mechanical group is made up of eight team-members from four different study-programs who work in groups of two on the different sub-systems.

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” Jakob KesslerCTO - Mechanical team

ChassisThe chassis is the skeleton all components are fastened and secured to. A strong and lightweight chassis is key for an energy effective pod. Shift has partnered with Hydro to construct casing and chassis in aluminium. With aluminium being a perfect match for hyperloop’s needs, it’s a top candidate for construction material once hyperloop reaches full-scale production.

The chassis being such an integral piece of the pod, the Chassis group has to communicate with all the other technical groups to ensure a well fitted chassis.

Working at MechanicalWorking at Mechanical is great way for prospecting engineers to get a sneak peek into how their their future work will look like. You will learn, among other things, how to use CAD, simulation tools and expand your understanding of how to design a mechanical structure. Production of various parts is no easy task. However, with time and proper determination no problem is impossible to solve.

The principal element of a successive early concept design at Mechanical is foresight. Every element must be scaled and made to fit the specifications coming from Electric and Magnetic, so good communication between the teams to enable quick identification of potential future issues is a valuable skill to for a team member to have.

Chassis

Looking aheadUp until now the focus of Mechanical have been to design and simulate every system, working closely with Electric and Magnetics to ensure the chassis will fit every system. Different methods of production have been explored and the final decision has been made. Hours have been spent tailoring each sub-system together and it’s all now soon complete.

Working closely with Hydro, the team is now ready to order the aluminium needed to construct the pod and soon construction will be underway. The whole Mechanical team is looking forward to starting the assembly of all the different sub-systems and slowly but surely work their way forward to a fully functioning prototype hyperloop pod, Scandinavia’s first.

AeroshellOur most sought-after position at Mechanical this year, the Aeroshell team is tasked with designing a lightweight and aerodynamic aeroshell. Temperature resistance, strength, weight and more must all be considering when choosing material. It’s certainly not a task to be underestimated.

BrakesHyperloop is all about speed, but what will you do if something goes wrong at 1300 km/h? Utilizing the power of hydraulics, the braking system will generate upwards of 12kN of brake force. This ensures that the pod will quickly be able to stop if anything were to happen, and is essential for the safety of the pod.

Work at the Brakes group consist of deep research on materials and a lot of work with CAD, experience that will be golden for any aspiring mechanical engineers.

While technical knowledge is important, we would get nowhere without the funds to build the pod we are designing. And how can you spread the gospel of Hyperloop if all you do is sit inside drawing PCB boards?

We at Relations are responsible for all things non-technical. Be it contacting potential partners, throwing social events for the team or writing the very text you are reading right now. If you have ever talked to or read anything about us, chances are we have been a part of it.

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” Ulrik H.DigerudCMO

A Normal day at relations

The first thing we do at every meeting is make a quick summary of current progress, be it companies we are talking to, web development or other marketing related issues. Anyone behind schedule got to take the much-loved cake penalty, baking a cake to the rest of the team for the next meeting.

While talk is cheerful and anecdotes sit loosely, there is also a lot of work going. Calls have to be made and emails written, and planning for internal and public events must be done. Your typical workload is completely different from the one at your study, and this can be both refreshing and intimidating. While it may be nice to do something different than chugging through equations all day, work at Relations is different from anything you have worked with before and there will always be a few butterflies when you are calling a big company for a potential partnership.

Web developmentBeing a web developer at Shift is both fun and challeng-ing. The work is divided between working on technical solutions for the webpage and recruitment and doing regular marketing work like contacting potential partners. This year we’re scrapping the old website and replacing it with a new one. Being given free reigns allows you to try new things and technologies. Although the job requires a lot of time and effort it teaches you way more than school does throughout a year.

The TeamThe Board

JonathanS.Bognæs

CEO

Carl ChristanA.Modum

CFO

SigmundH.Høeg

CTOMagnetics

Jakob Kessler

CTOMechanical

UlrikH.Digerud

CMO

ErlendH.Honningdalsnes

CTOElectrical

HenrikHauge

Aeroshell

MartinB.LesjøBrakes

DanielNilsen

Suspension

AlexanderMeløysundSuspension

EivindNjaastadChassis

FransiscoSoto

Casing&Fastening

Ole EmilHerrmann

Group leader

Mechanical

YamenZazaVCU

MathiasOlsen

Telemetry

MathiasPettersenEmbedded

PhillipTronstad

VCU

MathiasRønning

Embedded

MichaelBerg

Sensor

MarenV.FossumTelemetry

WilhelmB.Karlsen

Safety system

MagnusK.Oddstøl

Sensor

ChristianNguyen

Safety system

TrygveRuud

Low voltage

TageGrønli

Low voltage

Bendik NyhavnBattery

RagnerN.WienBattery

LudvikRønning

Group leader

Electrical

TommyD.LuuBase

EvenGultvedt

Group leader

KennetFinnestrandLow speed

AssadKhan

Low speed

AsbjørnLillestøl

Low speed

AsfandZariat

Simulation

TordSøftelandSimulation

Magnetics

MartinA.KraftInverter

MichalMinarikInverter

StianS.Strømholm

Inverter

KristofferEikså

Inverter

FabianS.Rønningen

Inverter

MartinTømterudSimulation

ZehraSaleh

Embedded

ØrjanÅvitsland

Embedded

ManuelP.Bravo

Motor&Levitation

Relations

AdrianLarsen

Relations

SindreEngøy

Relations

HanneK.Ødegård

Web developer

Mentors

Hans TheodorJohnsenMentor

TomasOverenMentor

Meet our members

Bendik Nyhavn-What made you join Shift?

-What have you so far learned from working with Shift?

-What has been the best thing about Shift?

-What are you most looking forward to?

-Three keywords that describes Shift.

Working with technology that might be the next big step in transportation technology and the ability to revolutionise

transportation emissions. And of course, working with a large group of students who are equally passionate about

science and engineering.

Primarily I feel like I have gotten a good grasp on available energy storage and power delivery systems, and massively

improved my understanding on many aspects of battery technology.

The practical experience! It’s just so much fun when you create something, and it actually works exactly like it’s

supposed to, and that everything I have learned is actually really useful. It’s also really nice to hang out with people

who love tech as much as I do.

California no doubt. Meeting and talking to incredibly talented students from top universities, and SpaceX

engineers would be something I would remember for life.

Interesting, chellenging and family

Bendik Nyhavn

High-Voltage Battery team

2. Year MSc. Materials Science and Engineering

Manuel Pérez Bravo

Propulsion team

Final year MSc. Electrical Engineering

-What made you join Shift?

-What have you so far learned from working with Shift?

-What has been the best thing about Shift?

-What are you most looking forward to?

-Three keywords that describes Shift.

I’m really into transportation. My first professional experience was within innovation research and levitation

trains. I wanted to move forward and to see how the hyperloop concept worked and so I joined in

I have gained insight into the manufacturing process and the challenges associated to such an innovative concept.

Questioning so many things in what I knew from before in electrical engineering, also the time I have spent with other

team members. Shift is a great gateway to make new Norwegian friends.

I’m most excited for the testing phase so we can prove and having a tangible concept, making it alive.

Fun, creative and challenging

Manuel Pérez Bravo

Our vision

More practical engineering education An efficient PlanetA sustainable future

While lectures is a decent way to learn, all members at Shift

can attest to that nothing beats proper working experience.

At Shift we are big advocates for increasing the number of

technical student organisations at all universities.

A world that is only growing more interconnected as the

years go by, transportation will only be more important with time. With hyperloop we can reduce transportation time,

both for humans and goods.

The world is facing massive challenges tied to climate

change. Transportation is a big contributer to CO2 emissions, with hyperloop we can reduce

those emissions while still respecting peoples time.

The future as Shift envision itAt Shift we have big visions for the future, and we are more than willing to back it up with action. Through development of new technology, and education via events and lectures we aim to inspire others to make a difference in the world. With that said, we are only a small group of students so having partnered up with Rambøll have been a great boon. Shift and Rambøll share a common belief that green and efficient transportation is vital for a good future. A connected world where a trip across the world can be done quickly with near zero emissions and no flight shame. A world where your food doesn’t leave a CO2 footprint ten times its own weight during transportation. Together we aim to enable sustainable development through innovative project solutions and practices.

We sincerely hope you enjoyed this longer-than-usual newsletter and got excited about the future of transportation.

The team is really speeding up to get the pod ready for unveiling, which will be an amazing event.

See you this summer for the first ever Shift Hyperloop Pod unveiling!

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”Jonathan S.Bognæs

CEO

Until next time