James Pero

Design

Here’s what doing 670 mph in Virgin’s Hyperloop might look like

If this concept video is any indication, a ride on Virgin's Hyperloop will look as futuristic as it sounds.

It'll be close to another 10 years before you can take a ride on one of Virgin's high-speed vacuum-sealed capsules dubbed the Hyperloop, but in the meantime, the company has teamed up with a couple of design firms to give you a preview of how your future journey might play out.

In a new two-and-a-half minute concept video, Virgin (and Dutch firms Teague and Bjarke Ingels) envision a trip on the Hyperloop from the station, to the inside of one of its high-speed pods, and even an overview of the routes the capsules will travel.

Let's take a look...

Virgin shows how passengers might start out in this extremely modern station, where they'll use a digital ticket to funnel inside what appears to be pod bay doors...

'2001: Space Odyssey'

Inside, the interior of the capsule is a modern mix of communal and individual seating for people traveling in groups or solo. Each capsule can fit 28 passengers (though, the concept video shows a 17-person capsule), allowing them to shuttle thousands of passengers per hour, according to Virgin.

670 mph

Virgin hopes to eventually send its capsules flying at speeds of almost 700 mph.

1 Hour

That's enough speed to get you from Chicago to New York City in about an hour (typically a 12-hour drive).

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The capsule interior.Virgin

While the cabin looks pretty much akin to a high end airline, incorporating some wood textures and forest-like greenery, there are a couple unique touches that catch the eye, like...

Wireless charging

Or, these nifty projected displays...

In the video, capsules are shown zooming down a tube and then parting ways, a process that Virgin says will be orchestrated by its own AI software. Each capsule is magnetically levitated inside the corridor and can be grouped together with other capsules or break off on its own journey.

The AI software is a large part of what the success of the Hyperloop hinges on. In order to actually transport the speculated "thousands of passengers per hour," the system would have to be highly efficient due to the rather small cabin size of each capsule.

Virgin

Virgin won't be without competition, however. Elon Musk has already made significant progress on his own version of a Hyperloop in Las Vegas which plans on shuttling passengers via a bunch of Teslas in underground tunnels. Like other Musk moonshots, it's hard to tell exactly how practical that plan will be in the end.

ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

There are still lots of big questions on whether the Hyperloop will ultimately come to fruition or work as advertised, but that doesn't make the prospect of accessible high speed travel any less appealing.

2030

Virgin hopes to have the first passenger ride in 2030.

TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images

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