Living up to the hype? Virgin Hyperloop uses its top executives as guinea pigs in first human tests
Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop has completed the world’s first passenger ride on a super high-speed levitating pod system, using two of its top executives as guinea pigs.
The test marks progress for Hyperloop and its goal to transform human and cargo transportation.
Virgin Hyperloop executives Josh Giegel, its chief technology officer, and Sara Luchian, director of passenger experience, reached speeds of up to 107 miles per hour at the company’s Las Vegas test site.
Hyperloop has previously run over 400 tests without human passengers at the Nevada site.
“I had the true pleasure of seeing history made before my very eyes,” said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chairman of both Virgin Hyperloop and DP World.
Hyperloop technology of floating pods eventually hope to be packed with passengers and cargo hurtle through vacuum tubes at 600 miles an hour (966 kph) or faster.
In a hyperloop system, which uses magnetic levitation to allow near-silent travel, a trip between New York and Washington would take just 30 minutes.
That would be twice as fast as a commercial jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train.
The company is working toward safety certification by 2025 and commercial operations by 2030, it has said.
Canada’s Transpod and Spain’s Zeleros also aim to upend traditional passenger and freight networks with similar technology they say will slash travel times, congestion and environmental harm linked with petroleum-fueled machines