The Elon Musk’s Hyperloop was publicly tested in North Las Vegas on Wednesday. This invention seeks to transport people at 700 miles per hour inside partially evacuated tubes. People would travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 35 minutes.
Hyperloop One invited press and investors to observe a new 2,000 feet track. The first 100 feet are wired to three trailers that deliver megawatts of electricity, said Technology Review from the MIT (MIT TR). That energy would serve to impulse a sled, using electromagnetic force.
The concept aims to transport people at up to 700 miles per hour, inside capsules that would float on a cushion of air. This project was first proposed by Elon Musk, who is the founder of the electric automaker Tesla, and the private space company SpaceX.
During the presentation, engineers activated the system and the sled moved across the track, said MTI TR. A full test of the high-end transportation system is expected to take place by the end of the year.
CEO of Hyperloop One Rob Lloyd said the company has allied with foreign engineering firms, especially from Europe. General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) has joined the team of investors. “We couldn’t see why this couldn’t work,” said a GE spokesperson to MTI TR.
A GE representative from Finland talked about how the Hyperloop could revolutionize the transportation system in cities across Scandinavia, which still count on heavy ferries.
A spokesperson from Arup, a multinational engineering firm headquartered in London, said that “small-bore tunnels” needed by the Hyperloop would be practically implemented in the U.K. Lloyd has invited companies and governments to participate in a new contest.
SpaceX “is not affiliated with any Hyperloop companies”
An international competition seeks to determine which will be the next place for the Hyperloop. On Wednesday, the company unveiled a prototype test track. However, the winner will meet a working model between two regions.
“SpaceX is announcing an open competition, geared towards university students and independent engineering teams, to design and build the best Hyperloop pod. To support this competition, SpaceX will construct a one-mile test track adjacent to our California headquarters,” said the space company.
Brogan BamBrogran, one of the Hyperloop co-founders and lead engineer of the project, said the company is planning to add more pieces to the system that they have already shown to the press. “This is rad and it’s gonna get a lot radder” he said, according to MTI TR.
“Since we first unveiled the idea for a new high-speed ground transport system called the Hyperloop back in 2013, there has been a tremendous amount of interest in the concept. We are excited that a handful of private companies have chosen to pursue this effort,” said SpaceX.
Hyperloop One, previously known as Hyperloop Technologies, is expecting to make a full test of the Hyperloop, vacuum tube and levitating pod by late 2016. If the project succeeds, a one-way ticket would cost $20. Building the system would cost between $6 and $7 billion.
Source: MIT Tech Review