(AP Photo/John Locher). A sled speeds down a track during a test of a Hyperloop One propulsion system, Wednesday, May 11, 2016, in North Las Vegas, Nev.
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In the arid northern deserts of Nevada, far from the bright lights and towering edifices of Las Vegas, the Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One took a gamble and won, successfully testing its linear induction propulsion system.
Hyperloop One’s $80 million Series B financing round was raised from more than 70 investors, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Executives hope the Hyperloop system will by 2020 transport passengers at the speed of 760 miles an hour (1,223 kmph) between major American cities.
The test, held on Wednesday 12 May, represents an early proof of concept of the electromagnetic propulsion technology that, once completed, could transport cargo and eventually passengers at speeds of over 750mph through vacuum tubes between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 30 minutes.
This makes it sound similar to a linear-induction motor you might see on newer roller coasters that shoot cars out at very high speeds – which is why the test looked like one of those roller coasters. A large number of hurdles still remain for the developers of Hyperloop to clear if the technology is to become a reality.
“Hyperloop One has built a powerful global ecosystem of companies that are definitive experts in their fields and now come together to unlock the true impact of Hyperloop”, said Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One.
Tesla cofounder Elon Musk released a white paper in 2013 in support of the technology.
“From a safety aspect, the system has huge advantages, levitation occurs purely through movement, therefore if any type of power failure occurs, Hyperloop pods would continue to levitate and only after reaching minimal speeds touch the ground”, said Bibop Gresta, chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, said. The test, which lasted just a few seconds, was the first demonstration of the much-hyped transportation technology.
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The test track was in open air, so the test sled experienced drag that a finished Hyperloop would not. The price tag for a working San Francisco to Los Angeles Hyperloop system could top $6 billion. After the initial countdown, the sled took off from the start position and whizzed by on a track at a measured 2.4 Gs of acceleration. It is one of two companies racing to build the first Hyperloop platform.
