Jun 20, 2017

South Korea teams up with a Hyperloop startup to build ultra-fast trains

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) said on Tuesday that it has signed a licensing deal with a handful of South Korean organizations to jointly develop a full-scale version of the ultra-fast train. HTT is one of several several startups working to develop these trains based on a concept devised by Elon Musk in 2013.

South Korean government's department of technological innovation and infrastructure, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), Hanyang University, and other organizations signed a deal in January to develop a hyperloop system that will be called HyperTube Express (HTX)

Global competition: HTT competes with a few other startups also building hyperloop train systems, and many have struck deals to build prototypes and full-scale systems around the world, including the United Arab Emirates, Europe, and the U.S.

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Axios
Updated 16 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Politics: The swing states where the pandemic is raging — Pence no longer expected to attend Barrett confirmation vote after COVID exposure.
  2. Health: 13 states set single-day case records last week — U.S. reports over 80,000 new cases for second consecutive day.
  3. Business: Where stimulus is needed most.
  4. Education: The dangerous instability of school re-openings.
  5. World: Restrictions grow across Europe.
  6. Media: Fox News president and several hosts advised to quarantine.
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Dave Lawler, author of World
43 mins ago - World

U.S.-brokered ceasefire collapses in Nagorno-Karabakh

Volunteer fighters in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh crumbled within hours on Monday, leaving the month-old war rumbling on.

Why it matters: Nearly 5,000 people have been killed, according to Vladimir Putin’s rough estimate, including more than 100 civilians. Between 70,000 and 100,000 more are believed to have fled the fighting.

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Ben Geman, author of Generate
3 hours ago - Energy & Environment

Japan's big new climate goal

Climate protest in Tokyo in November 2019. Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images

Japan's new prime minister said on Monday the nation will seek to become carbon neutral by 2050, a move that will require huge changes in its fossil fuel-heavy energy mix in order to succeed.

Why it matters: Japan is the world's fifth-largest source of carbon emissions. The new goal announced by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is stronger than the country's previous target of becoming carbon neutral as early as possible in the latter half of the century.

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