Clean-tech visionary Elon Musk first unveiled his idea for a high-speed ground transport system called Hyperloop back in 2013. The concept — in which passengers are transported in magnet-propelled capsules at more than 750 miles per hour — was quickly dismissed by many as a pipe-dream.
But, while most of us weren’t paying attention, a handful of private companies have been quietly working to make Musk’s vision a reality. Now two of these firms (both unaffiliated with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO) say they are ready to begin testing the technology.
Clean-tech visionary Elon Musk first unveiled his idea for a high-speed ground transport system called Hyperloop back in 2013. The concept — in which passengers are transported in magnet-propelled capsules at more than 750 miles per hour — was quickly dismissed by many as a pipe-dream.
But, while most of us weren’t paying attention, a handful of private companies have been quietly working to make Musk’s vision a reality. Now two of these firms (both unaffiliated with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO) say they are ready to begin testing the technology.
Hyperloop Technologies made waves at the end of last year when it acquired 50 acres of land near Las Vegas to test its version of the frictionless propulsion system. At the beginning of this month, the company granted a CNNMoney camera crew access to the site, where it is building a three-mile test loop that could see its first travelers by the end of this year. The company plans to test Hyperloop pods at speeds of up to 335 miles per hour — roughly half the speed of a full-scale system, the Associated Press reported.
While the idea of traveling just under the speed of sound may sound like something straight out of “The Jetsons,” the science behind the technology is fairly simple, said Hyperloop Technologies CEO Rob Lloyd.
Pod in motion image credit Hyperloop Technologies.
Read more at ENN Affiliate TriplePundit.
