American transportation technology company Virgin Hyperloop is developing the technology for passenger pods in the desert just north of Las Vegas.
The Hyperloop pod will hurtle at speeds of up to 750 miles an hour (1,200 kph) through almost air-free vacuum tunnels using magnetic levitation. The pods will seat 28 passengers and can be customized for long and short distances as well as freight transport.
Mr. Josh Giegel, CEO and Co-founder of Virgin Hyperloop, has stated that although the project is in its infancy, commercial operations for the pods are expected to begin in 2027. And, he added that it could be the first mode of transportation in 100 years to revolutionize travel in the same way that cars, trains, and planes did.
Josh Giegel CEO & Co-founder Virgin Hyperloop
“It will feel like an aircraft at take-off and once you’re at speed. You won’t even have turbulence because our system is basically completely able to react to all that turbulence. Think noise-canceling but bump-canceling, if you will. Off-white materials and a back mirror make the pod seem bigger and more “inviting” for new users. This pod was really the embodiment of ‘How do we take something that’s an idea and make it into something that’s a reality for us to sit in?”
“Virgin Hyperloop is looking to first develop passenger routes in India, where the transport system is overloaded, and in Saudi Arabia, which lacks an infrastructure,” as per the report.
“It starts off with two people riding a Hyperloop. It ends with hundreds of millions of people riding on a Hyperloop and that’s what the 2020s, the roaring 20s will be,” Mr. Giegel added.
The pod will be on display in late summer at the Smithsonian Historic Arts and Industries Museum’s “FUTURES” exhibition in Washington.
