Hyperloop’s first full-scale passenger capsule revealed
Transpod co-founders Sebastien Gendron and Ryan Janzen on the competition to make the Hyperloop concept a reality.
Elon Musk’s hyperloop idea is closer to becoming a reality.
Despite the uproar over the embattled billionaire’s settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over his tweet last month that he is taking Tesla private, his dream of revolutionizing public transportation in finally taking off -- by other parties.
This week, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) unveiled its first full-scale passenger capsule, offering the world a glimpse at what the future of travel may look like.
The capsule, which is 105 feet long and weighs 5 tons, was unveiled in Cadiz, Spain, on Tuesday.
The tube-like transportation system, billed as “an airplane without wings,” is designed to transport people through low-pressure steel tubes at a speed of 620 miles per hour, which roughly matches a typical passenger aircraft.
Virgin’s Hyperloop One is the only company who has a legitimate test facility and a physical Hyperloop that could someday in the near future transport people from places like New York City to Los Angeles in four in a half hours. They’ve not only taken Elon Musk’s concept and made it a reality, but they have improved it tremendously. Fox News gets the exclusive with company engineers and directors explaining their latest updates to a near complete Hyperloop pod and track.
Named the Quintero One, the new system is made almost entirely out of composite material and will be moved to Toulouse, France, for additional assembly before it’s tested, the company said.
Hyperloop’s technology gained popularity in 2013, after Musk first introduced his vision for a futuristic mode of tube-based transportation. While he said he didn’t have any plans to execute the idea because he remained focused on SpaceX and Tesla, his idea prompted several companies to join the race in creating a high-speed transportation system.
JumpStarter Inc. eventually created HTT, a Culver City-based California company, to develop the hyperloop.
Musk’s hyperloop company, Boring Company, recently received “verbal government approval” to build a hyperloop capable of ferrying passengers between New York and Washington, D.C., in 29 minutes.
The newly unveiled hyperloop capsule. (Hyperloop TT)
Capsules are powered by a linear induction motor, an electromagnetic propulsion, and embedded rechargeable batteries. As a result, the system is silent and emission-free. (Hyperloop TT)
Hyperloop system consists of large tubes that will primarily be built on pylons, with some ground level and underground segments as needed. The elevated system results in lower the cost of land acquisition, makes it impervious to weather conditions, resilient to earthquakes, eliminates the possibility of collision with road traffic, and will provide eco-opportunities. (Hyperloop TT)
Hyperloop replicates high altitudes in a low pressure environment inside the tube system by removing most of the air with vacuum pumps, which drastically reduces the drag forces. (Hyperloop TT)
As part of the journey, the station has a crucial impact on the passenger. HyperloopTT and design firm AN.ONYMOUS created a next generation station design to integrate transit with the local environment. (Hyperloop TT)
The HyperloopTT station is also energy-efficient, creating a transit hub for the community and most importantly an urban center. The dynamic uses of space include places where passengers can go to access services, experiences, and goods while other spaces are devoted to enhancing passengers’ psychological experience. (Hyperloop TT)
And while HTT is based in the U.S., it is currently focused on developing routes in countries such as China, UAE, Spain and France. However, the Los Angeles area is emerging as a hyperloop center with other competitors such as Arrivo and Virgin Hyperloop One also having their bases there.
"In just five years we have solved and improved upon all of the technology needed for Hyperloop with our new levitation system, vacuum pumps, batteries, and smart composites," HTT’s CEO Dirk Ahlborn said in a statement. "This capsule will be a part of one of the most efficient transportation systems ever made."