Virgin Hyperloop, the Hyperloop technology company backed by British billionaire Richard Branson, has completed the first manned trial of the futuristic mode of transportation. Hyperloop infrastructure, which is relatively cheap to build despite promising to be by far the fastest mode of non-flight transport ever created, is considered to potentially be a game-changer for inter-city travel.
Hyperloop shuttles are hurtled through a tube at up to over 750 mph, thanks to the combination of a near-vacuum and a magnetic field which keeps the shuttle levitated, minimising friction. In theory, a London-Edinburgh hyperloop line could see the 400-mile journey completed in 45 minutes.
Virgin Hyperloop yesterday completed its first manned test journey, with 2 of the company’s executives onboard a shuttle that fired them across 500 metres at 107 mph. The journey at the Virgin Hyperloop testing facility in the California desert 35 miles north of Los Angeles took 15 seconds and reached a speed far below the new technology’s capacity. But as the first hyperloop journey carrying passengers, it’s being seen as a significant landmark event.
Source: The Times
Jay Walder, Virgin Hyperloop’s chief executive bullishly commented:
“I don’t think you can overstate it. This is a moonshot moment. I have no doubt this will change the world.”
Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX fame can also be credited with pioneering, if not inventing, hyperlook technology. He became interested in the nascent, theoretical technology and in 2013 released a paper that outlined why and how he believed it could revolutionise the urban and inter-city transport landscape.
Hyperloop technology uses passive magnetic levitation. It’s not a revolutionary technique and already used on the Shanghai transport network. A series of magnets along a track creates a force that lefts a carriage off the track, suspended by the magnetic field, once a certain speed is reached.
Another magnetic system moves the train along the track. One magnetic force created by like ‘poles’ pushes the carriage, or shuttle, forward, while another pair of opposite poles pulls it in the same direction. The near vacuum in the hyperloop tube containing the tracks and magnetic fields means that, together with the shuttles being suspended above the track, there is almost no resistance. It’s the equivalent of travelling at 200,000 ft above sea level, which allows for the high speeds hyperloop can reach.
A Virgin Hyperloop spokesperson explained:
“The pod glides at airline speeds for long distances due to ultra-low aerodynamic drag. Far from a rollercoaster, the journey will be so smooth you can ride without spilling a drop of your coffee.”
One of the big advantages of hyperloop technology is that the infrastructure required costs a fraction of that of a high-speed train line, and is quick and easy to assemble. We may not see a London-Edinburgh hyperloop line within the next few years. But in theory, once the technology has been perfected, building one shouldn’t take a lot of time. Nothing like the work and expense involved in the London Crossrail, for example, or the controversial HS2 high speed rail link between London and the north.
Virgin Hyperloop’s Mr Walder used to work for Transport for London and is credited with the introduction of the Oyster card. He told The New York Times he believes the successful trial ranks as historically significant. Sir Richard Branson added that the test run was a milestone in the company’s efforts to turn “groundbreaking technology into reality”.
Virgin Hyperloop is one of several companies involved in developing the company. Others include Elon Musk’s Boring Company, L.A.-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Dutch start-up Hardt Hyperloop which has the ambition of connecting all of Europe’s major cities with the technology, and Canadian-French firm TransPod.