Hyperloop One announced the successful completion of the world’s first full systems Hyperloop test in a vacuum environment. This test was Phase 1 of a multi-Phase program and was privately conducted on May 12, 2017, at the company’s test track, “DevLoop,” in the Nevada Desert. The vehicle coasted above the first portion of the track for 5.3 seconds using magnetic levitation and reached nearly 2Gs of acceleration, while achieving the Phase 1 target speed of 70mph. The company is now entering the next campaign of testing, which will target speeds of 250 mph.
“Hyperloop One has accomplished what no one has done before by successfully testing the first full-scale Hyperloop system. By achieving full vacuum, we essentially invented our own sky in a tube, as if you’re flying at 200,000 feet in the air,” said Shervin Pishevar, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Hyperloop One. “For the first time in over 100 years, a new mode of transportation has been introduced. Hyperloop is real, and it’s here now.”
In addition to announcing the private test, the company also unveiled the prototype of its Pod that will work within the integrated system. Using electromagnetic propulsion and magnetic levitation, the Pod will transport passengers and cargo inside the tube. The pod is reportedly the only vehicle in the world that, with the company’s proprietary linear electric motor, achieves autonomous high-speed propulsion and levitation in a controlled low-pressure environment. Made of structural aluminum and a lightweight carbon fiber, the shell measures 28 feet long.
