Virgin Hyperloop Completes Test Run in Nevada

Caribbean News…
06 December 2020 11:20pm
Virgin Hyperloop

Virgin Hyperloop recently completed its first test run with passengers in Nevada. The system uses electric propulsion and electromagnetic levitation under near-vacuum conditions. Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop has successfully finished the world’s first passenger ride on a high-speed levitating pod system, a key safety test for technology it hopes will transform human and cargo transportation.

The Virgin Hyperloop executives, Josh Giegel, its chief technology officer, and Sara Luchian, the director of passenger experience, reached speeds of up to 107mph (172 km/h) at the company’s DevLoop test site in Las Vegas, Nevada, the company said on Sunday.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the chairman of Virgin Hyperloop and the group chairman and chief executive of DP World mentioned that he enjoyed the trip. The Los Angeles-based Hyperloop foresees a future in which floating pods packed with passengers and cargo moves through vacuum tubes at 600mph (966 km/h) or faster.

In a hyperloop system using magnetic levitation to allow near-silent travel, a trip between New York and Washington would be completed in only 30 minutes. And it would be twice as fast as a commercial jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train.

The test comes a month after Reuters first reported that Virgin Hyperloop picked the US state of West Virginia to host a $500m (£380m) certification centre and test track that will serve as a proving ground for its technology.

The company is working towards safety certification by 2025 and commercial operations by 2030, it has said.

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