On Wednesday, Hyperloop One showed off its propulsion system during an open-air test just outside of Las Vegas.
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Elon Musk’s Hyperloop dream has taken a step towards reality after a first successful public test.
Some of the biggest names in tech are coming to TNW Conference in Amsterdam this May. Using magnets, the pods will most likely reach speeds of up to 700 miles per hour.
During the test, according to The Guardian report, a large aluminum sleigh that blasted along a trail reaching a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour and accelerating with 2.4 g-force, pushing it from zero to 60 miles per hour in a quick 1.1 seconds.
In a related US Today report, the Hyperloop One’s first test was evidence of it just being a mere concept: that it can be done. The CEO reveals the company plans to transport cargo by 2019 and ferry passengers by 2021.
If “Hyperloop One” has its way, this new way to travel may be a lot closer to becoming a reality.
The idea was first articulated in a paper by Tesla co-founder Elon Musk in 2013.
Concept art of Hyperloop inner works.
Company officials hope to combine the separate components later this year for a test it’s calling its “Kitty Hawk moment” – a reference to the Wright Brothers’ inaugural airplane flight.
Hyperloop One earlier this week announced the closing of 80 million dollars in financing and said it plans to conduct a full system test before the end of the year.
Proponents say the futuristic technology could ferry passengers or cargo at hundreds of kilometres an hour, covering the distance between San Francisco and Los Angeles in about half an hour, whereas it would normally take about six hours by auto – and that it could be built at about a tenth of the cost of a proposed high-speed rail link between the two cities, revolutionising the economy by enabling faster shipment of goods and cutting long commutes short.
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Both companies are also looking at other locations that could potentially benefit from a similar Hyperloop system including links between Los Angeles and Long Beach, Helsinki and Stockholm, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary and a completely underground cargo version in Switzerland.
