January 28, 2021, 4:51 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Is this what the future of travel looks like? A capsule with passengers is supposed to move extremely fast in a tube. Although it will take a few more years to get there, after initial tests with people on board, there is now a video showing what the ride could look like.
For years, Virgin founder and billionaire Richard Branson has been working on his “Hyperloop.” The concept involves a transport tube where people are to be transported at speeds of up to 670 miles per hour. What exactly will it look like? A concept video from the company now shows this. Step by step, the ride is presented—from arrival at the portal to departure aboard a Hyperloop capsule.
It is a “glimpse into the future,” said Sultan Bin Sulayem, chairman of Virgin Hyperloop, in a company press release. They have “demonstrated the maturity of the technology” and are now getting closer to commercialization. Virgin Hyperloop aims for certification by 2025 and commercial operation by 2030.
How Does the Virgin Hyperloop Work?
A vacuum in the tube allows a magnetically driven transport capsule to travel at very high speeds and nearly silently. This is possible due to the elimination of air resistance. The journey between New York and Washington would take only 30 minutes. That would be twice as fast as a commercial jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train.
The idea for the technology came from Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Branson later advanced its development. Musk is currently exploring the possibility of a trip to Mars.
First Hyperloop Test Ride Already Completed
In November 2020, the “Hyperloop” transport system successfully completed the world’s first passenger test ride. This marked the completion of an important safety test, paving the way for revolutionizing the transport of people and goods, the company announced. On board the super-high-speed capsule, Chief Technology Officer Josh Giegel and Sara Luchian, head of passenger experience at Virgin Hyperloop, reached a speed of 107 mph, according to the company.
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“I had the pleasure of seeing history being written right before my eyes,” said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, who was also present at the test. The company had already conducted around 400 unmanned rides in the ten-kilometer test tube in Las Vegas, Nevada.