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Journalism of Courage
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies Inc. unveiled its first full-scale passenger capsule, offering the world a peek at the future of travel.
The capsule, 105 feet (32 meters) long and weighing 5 tons, was shown in Spain and will be moved to Toulouse, France, for additional assembly before it’s used on one of the first commercial tracks, the California-based startup, known as HyperloopTT, said in a statement. Named the Quintero One, the product is made almost entirely out of composite material.
Hyperloop is a technology that gained popularity after billionaire Elon Musk touted it in 2013, prompting several companies to join the race to build a high-speed transportation system. It envisages moving passengers in capsules at speeds of more than 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) per hour through low-pressure tubes, in order to reduce friction. The technology will be able to propel trains faster than existing methods such as the Maglev, which uses a levitation technology to lift the train cars above a track to eliminate surface drag.
In July, HyperloopTT set up a joint venture to build a test system in a mountainous southwest province in China.
The Los Angeles area is emerging as a hyperloop center, home to competitors Arrivo, Virgin Hyperloop One, and HyperloopTT. Musk’s Boring Co. also has its base there.
