• Zeleros unveiled the Z01 in March, in Valencia. Photo: Zeleros twitter
    Zeleros unveiled the Z01 in March, in Valencia. Photo: Zeleros twitter
  • The model hyperloop carriage will be on display at Spain's pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai for six months. Photo: Zeleros twitter
    The model hyperloop carriage will be on display at Spain's pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai for six months. Photo: Zeleros twitter
  • Zeleros is a Spanish startup founded in 2016 that hopes to reduce European travel times dramatically. Photo: Zeleros twitter
    Zeleros is a Spanish startup founded in 2016 that hopes to reduce European travel times dramatically. Photo: Zeleros twitter
  • The concept for hyperloop technology has been around for over a century but up until very recently budgetary constraints have been the main obstacle. Photo: Zeleros twitter
    The concept for hyperloop technology has been around for over a century but up until very recently budgetary constraints have been the main obstacle. Photo: Zeleros twitter
  • Virgin has developed its own hyperloop technology with prototypes being tested in the Nevada desert. Photo: Zeleros twitter
    Virgin has developed its own hyperloop technology with prototypes being tested in the Nevada desert. Photo: Zeleros twitter

Watch: Spanish Expo pavilion to display model hyperloop vehicle


Sarah Forster
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The Spanish pavilion at Expo 2020 has taken delivery of an exhibit that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Known as the Z01, the six-metre hyperloop carriage model will give visitors a glimpse into what they might be travelling in once the high-speed technology is perfected.

The display model, developed by Spanish start-up Zeleros, was delivered on Friday to the Expo site, with Spain's Expo account tweeting: "It's finally here! @zeleros #hyperloop vehicle, the Z01, arrives at the Spain Pavilion.

"This new mode of transport will be displayed in the Pavilion during @expo2020dubai to educate on how we will move in just a few years' time."

Manufactured by the Valencian studio Oceano Naranja, the demonstration model will be on display in the Spanish pavilion for six months.

It will display the main features of the Zeleros hyperloop transport system, which should make long-distance routes more profitable and energy efficient.

The technology aims to bring travel times between cities like Barcelona with Paris down to a matter of minutes, with carriages travelling at speeds of up to 1,000 kilometres an hour.

Several companies are racing to develop the technology, including Virgin who showed off their magnetic, floating pods in May.

The idea has been around since the early 1900s but usually failed because of budget constraints.

Entrepreneur Elon Musk revived the concept in 2013 by setting out how a modern hyperloop system could work.

Founded in 2016, the team behind Zeleros hope that Expo's projected 25 million visitors will get a glimpse of what it has to offer.

The demonstration model's unveiling back in March was described as the beginning of the "road to Dubai". It was then exhibited until May 2 at Valencia's Science Museum.

Updated: July 18, 2021, 1:51 PM