It’s true that our blog concentrates on entrepreneurship and innovation in Central and Eastern Europe. Still, it is impossible to ignore what’s happening on the other side of the pond. Hyperloop One, the first company to actually construct a working Hyperloop system, has completed the second test of their technology. The pod has traveled 500 meters, reached a historic speed of 310 kilometers per hour, and validated the efficiency of all systems, including magnetic levitation and low-pressure tube.
“We’ve proven that our technology works, and we’re now ready to enter into discussions with partners, customers and governments around the world about the full commercialization of our Hyperloop technology,” said the CEO of Hyperloop One, Rob Lloyd. “We’re excited about the prospects and the reception we’ve received from governments around the world to help solve their mass transportation and infrastructure challenges.”
Hyperloop One is a long-awaited brand new mode of transportation, where passengers or cargo are loaded into a pod. The pod accelerates in a low-pressure tube, in conditions similar to the ones at the altitude of 60 km above ground. The vehicle lifts off the track with magnetic levitation and glides along the track, gradually accelerating until it reaches a head-spinning speed of 670 mph (about 1080 km/h).
The speed achieved in the test is much lower than the expected maximum. The team is confident that their Hyperloop will achieve the desired speed in consecutive tests. They stress that at the moment, it is more important to get all systems working flawlessly than to accelerate the pod to higher speeds.
Even though a lot more work needs to be done to get us a working Hyperloop, the design gets everyone’s hopes up. Not only because of the speed. First of all, this new mode of transportation – unlike trains – will operate on demand, with up to several pods departing per minute. Additionally, a lot of risks and threats occurring in high-speed rails are eliminated: there are no intersections with other forms of transport, no driver-related errors, and no weather dependence, as the pods are propelled automatically within secure tubes.
Hyperloop One aims to have three operating systems by 2021. Their tests are run in the Nevada desert, but they don’t limit themselves to the States only; in fact, one of their planned routes goes between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They have also assessed the costs of creating a Hyperloop connection between Helsinki and Stockholm.
If you’re not feeling hyped enough yet, take a look at the video below!
