Hyperloop One reaches new top speed of 192 mph in test with actual pod in vacuum tube

After announcing “the successful completion of the world’s first full systems Hyperloop test in a vacuum environment” last month, Hyperloop One is now releasing the details of a new test with their actual pod in their vacuum test tube.

They achieved a new top speed of 192 mph (310 km an hour).

Shervin Pishevar, Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Hyperloop One, made the announcement

“This is the beginning, and the dawn of a new era of transportation. We’ve reached historic speeds of 310 km an hour, and we’re excited to finally show the world the XP-1 going into the Hyperloop One tube. When you hear the sound of the Hyperloop One, you hear the sound of the future.”

It’s still not on par with the ~700 mph speed that they originally planned the system to enable, but the full-scale 500-meter test track is shorter than the previously announced 1-mile long tube and it is still early in their development process.

They achieved the new top speed on just 300 meters of propulsion ramp, which is impressive, and they increased the speed by 2.7x over last month’s first test.

Here’s a comparison of their progress over the last test:

They also achieved depressurization in the tube equivalent of air at 200,000 feet above sea level.

The company disclosed that “all components of the system were successfully tested, including the highly efficient electric motor, advanced controls and power electronics, custom magnetic levitation and guidance, pod suspension and vacuum system.”

They released a few images of the second phase test:

Electrek’s Take

We are glad that Hyperloop One is sharing so much information about their development process step by step since we are actually witnessing the start of a new mode of transportation. It’s a fascinating process really.

They are recreating on the ground a low-pressure environment normally found 200,000 feet above the surface and shooting pod at high-speed in this environment, which takes the form of a tube.

It is still early in the development process, but the company says that it is also working in parallel on deploying actual commercial hyperloop systems. Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd said:

“We’ve proven that our technology works, and we’re now ready to enter into discussions with partners, customers and governments around the world about the full commercialization of our Hyperloop technology.  We’re excited about the prospects and the reception we’ve received from governments around the world to help solve their mass transportation and infrastructure challenges.”

They recently revealed 11 potential routes for the high-speed transportation system in the US and 9 new potential European routes. 

The company has also seen strong interest in the middle east and announced a deal last year to bring the first hyperloop network to Dubai.

Interestingly, Elon Musk, who originated the hyperloop concept but is not associated with the companies developing the technology, recently also announced projects to develop hyperloop systems through his new tunnel boring company. Hopefully, it could create some competition in the field.

https://youtu.be/jjv7bB9hy0k