Help HyperXite Develop its 11th Pod Iteration
About HyperXite
UC Irvine HyperXite is a multidisciplinary team of undergraduate students with a shared goal to disrupt the transportation industry. Founded in 2015 by a group of undergraduate students, our team’s mission is to bring a new kind of sustainable high-speed bullet train to life.
HyperXite team hard at work putting final touches on our pod before our annual demonstration day
Each year, the design of our internationally top-ranked hyperloop pod evolves to include newer and more innovative technologies; what started as a small air-based levitation system project has become a team of 40 dedicated students researching and developing our own thermal cooling mechanisms, linear induction motors, and magnetically levitating systems, to name a few.
HyperXite 10 Pod (without the fairing) resting on our I-beam track, ready to takeoff during our demonstration day
From designing complex PCBs to creating robust carbon fiber structures to assembling our pod’s chassis, HyperXite gives UC Irvine students have a unique opportunity to develop their technical and interpersonal skills through a project not found anywhere else on campus. Our members gain hands-on experience and apply their classroom knowledge to real-world problems through the comprehensive design, testing, and construction of our pod. Over 11 years, we have a proven history of excelling in competitions against other collegiate teams, graduate students, and industry professionals. This includes international competitions such as European Hyperloop Week, the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, where we placed in the Top 6, and Hyperloop Global, where we won Best Research, Best Presentation, and Best Guidance System. These achievements, along with being a celebrated project at UC Irvine – winning the Dean's Choice Award amongst 200+ other senior design projects multiple times in recent years – showcase our team's capabilities and dedication.
HyperXite members talking to students during the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at UC Irvine’s Senior Design Networking Night
Looking Forward
This year, we seek to optimize our linear induction motor (LIM) system for higher thrusts. Pursuing this has led to the necessary redesign of subsystems like Thermal Cooling and Aerodynamics. Additionally, we are pushing forward with the development of our Levitation R&D team to study the physics behind magnetic levitation and creating small-scale models to prove its future implementation on the pod.
To showcase our latest technical advancements, we will host our annual Demonstration Day to showcase our pod in the Spring of 2026 to the UC Irvine community and our sponsors.
By continuously improving our pod and participating in global competitions, we aim to empower students to grow as engineers in order to help bring the Hyperloop concept to life.
Our levitation team presenting their work to judges during the Canadian Hyperloop Global Competition at Queen's University
Our Objectives for Pod 11
- To raise 20k for pod components (including our new magnetic levitation system, thermal cooling system, and aerodynamic shell)
- To develop a small-scale functional magnetic levitation system
- To successfully present our pod at Demonstration Day
How you Can Help
With your support, our team will be able to continue championing our cause and improve upon our numerous pod iterations. As a student-led project, we rely on many charitable donations to help fund components for our system and travel abroad for competitions. We’re grateful for all the donations we’ve received in the past, and to keep this project going, we hope to raise our goal of 20k. Your contribution is critical to our project, and any amount donated is greatly appreciated!
The Controls Team for HyperXite 11 collaborating in the lab to make sure all our sensors are calibrated and collecting the expected data
Join Our Journey
Please stay connected with us on Instagram and LinkedIn!
No matter the size, your contribution makes a meaningful difference. Thank you for being part of our journey!
If you’d like to contribute in other ways to sponsor or partner with us, please reach out to us at ucihyperxite@gmail.com.
$25
Bronze Supporter
Every donation gets us closer to our goal of developing our 11th pod! Thank you for helping us fund purchases of hardware and other necessary components that hold the pod together.
$50
Silver Supporter
Thank you for the support! Your donation will be put towards extrusions to construct our chassis. You are quite literally helping us build the foundation of our project.
$100
Gold Supporter
We’re so grateful for your donation! With this, we are able to source the actuators and gas springs needed for our braking system. HyperXite is excited to break new records!
$250
Diamond Supporter
Thank you for your generosity! This money allows us to buy the materials needed for our aerodynamic faring. You are helping HyperXite soar to new heights!
$500
Platinum Supporter
Thank you for being our benefactor! Your donation helps cover the costs of our electrical system’s high-voltage batteries. Thank you for powering our journey!
$1,000
Star Supporter
You’re out of this world! It means so much to our team that you want to be such a huge part of our journey in developing our 11th pod AND the next generation of Anteater Engineers. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support.
