Hyperloop One Releases Video of Its First Ever Propulsion Test
This morning's test in North Las Vegas, Nevada lasted only five seconds, and earned a standing ovation.
The second half of Hyperloop One’s two-day presentation concluded today after it tested its propulsion system in front of a small, exclusive audience in Las Vegas.
The original concept of the hyperloop by SpaceX founder Elon Musk promised a revolution in transportation technology that would someday move passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in about 30 minutes. Today, the beginnings of that theory were brought to life (sadly, without the assistance of a live stream) and after hours of scattered coverage from on-site reporters, Hyperloop One has released an official video of this morning’s test.
Today’s POAT (or “Propulsion Open Air Test”) was a little more than just shy of the predicted final product; while the hyperloop is intended to reach speeds up to 750 mph, this test lacked a pod and only went up to 300. To its credit, that speed more than doubled its original projection, which was an impressive feat despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it occurred so quickly. It lacked the capabilities to break without used sand as a buffer, and really only traveled for about half a mile. Hyperloop One is currently looking forward to its much-teased “Kitty Hawk” moment later this year, which will likely be tied to the announced system test that is scheduled for Q4 of 2016.
CEO Rob Lloyd held a focus on just how quickly the project came together. “Everything you see out here today has happened in 6 months,” said Lloyd. In attendance with Lloyd were HyperloopOne co-founders Bam Brogan and Shervin Pishevar, who feature in the video with their high hopes on full display. “There are many engineering milestones to bring hyperloop to reality and this is one of the bigger, more tangible ones,” Brogan states in the video, which was released earlier today on the company’s Twitter account.
Ultimately, today’s test was meant to exist as a way to prove that Hyperloop technology is coming at a much more rapid pace than the general public might expect. “When you think of Hyperloop, you think maybe this is gonna happen years from now. It’s gonna happen much quicker than anyone imagines,” Lloyd states in the video. “When it does, the world will never be the same.”
