hyperloop, the fastest high-speed train concept is making progress. The company Hyperloop One announced that they have completed the first successful test after the foundations for the transport system was completed as well. When operational, the system can cut the travel time from London to Edinburgh to 50 minutes.
The first completed test is for its prototype radical system.
In the future, the system will feature pods that will propel the trains on vacuumed tracks for up to 760 miles per hour.
High-speed trains
Based on previous data, the first pod version can reach up to 70 miles per hour in just 5.3 seconds during a test conducted at the Nevada desert. However, this is not the train's full capacity as engineers also revealed that they only used about 100 feet of the motor during the test and will drastically improve its speed when they whole system and motor are operational.
The target is 250 miles per hour. They are hoping to achieve this speed in the next test run.
Hyperloop One Pods revealed
The image of the first Hyperloop One pod was also released. It looks like a cross between an airplane and an actual train. Although the successful test means the system is working, but an operational prototype doesn't mean that the project is near completion. A company spokesperson said that it will take some time before it can be operational due to the innovative technology that hasn't been used before.
According to Hyperloop One, this is the first time in 100 years that this mode of high-speed transportation has been introduced. They reiterated the realness of the technology by saying that "it is here now" but the full vacuum transportation system will take time to be completed.
Shervin Pishevar, co-founder and executive chairman of Hyperloop One said creating the system is like developing their own version of the sky but enclosed in a tube. The speed will make travelers feel like they're flying on a jet plane at 200,000 feet, but in truth, they will be inside a pod traveling in tubes propelled by vacuum technology.
Elon Musk's brainchild
Just like the Boring Company, who is currently digging holes underneath LA to build a network of underground tunnels, the Hyperloop technology is also a brainchild of businessman and billionaire Elon Musk. Musk initiated a competition in 2015 to build the Hyperloop system.
So far, Hyperloop One, a company based in California is the first to present a working prototype.
The company is also the first one to test the technology. Hyperloop One is expected to continue testing the technology in the coming months.
Musk also dropped hints that his Boring Company's underground tunnel and the Hyperloop technology may potentially be merged or linked in the future to use the same technology. He aims to reinvent the transportation system in the country by introducing electric vehicles through Tesla, the Hyperloop technology, and the underground tunnels.