Virgin Hyperloop released this week a concept video with its vision of future high-speed transit in action.
Hyperloop terminals will be just as important as the pods themselves for reaching Virgin’s goal of moving thousands of people every hour.
The concept passenger pods, created by design firm Teague, are kitted out with displays showing pod speed and ETA. But the pods also lack windows.
Virgin Hyperloop is based on Elon Musk’s 2013 white paper, which received a number of criticisms when it was released.
Feasibility studies found Hyperloop construction may cost much more than proposed in the Hyperloop Alpha white paper, and the high cost to passengers has also been criticized.
No test has yet come close to the proposed 700+ miles per hour at which the Hyperloop could ostensibly carry passengers. The highest speed to date is 288 miles per hour.
A study from British transit firm TRL shows the Hyperloop could outpace high-speed rail in capacity, but would need to depart every 113 seconds to do so.
The new Hyperloop concept paints a compelling picture of the future of travel, even as plenty of questions about its feasibility remain unanswered.
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