With each year that passes since the concept of Hyperloop transport technology was introduced, we get that much closer to seeing it become a reality.
Teams from Tesla and SpaceX first explored the idea of shuttling commuters at a speed of 760 miles per hour through a system of tubes. Since the idea was “open-sourced,” many companies formed in order to pursue the technology in various parts of the world, one being Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT).
HTT is supported by a network of mostly American designers and is headquartered in California, but the company has recently made some inroads with European infrastructure, and also announced a joint venture in China. But latest on its list of exciting accomplishments is the reveal of a full-sized Hyperloop passenger pod.
The capsule, unveiled in Spain, weighs five tons and runs a length of 105 feet. Though the interior has not been fully completed, HTT says it will fit somewhere between 28 to 40 passengers, each of whom will be required to sign a waiver before boarding due to regulatory mud that could take ages to standardize.
HTT will use a skin on the capsule that they claim is “eight times stronger than steel and 10 times stronger than aluminum alternatives.” The material is a carbon fiber with embedded sensors and is called Vibranium.
This Hyperloop vessel isn’t the first one to be modeled publicly – competitor Virgin Hyperloop One is already testing the full-scale pod it unveiled in 2017 – but HTT says that its model, dubbed Quintero One, is arguably the safest. That’s due to what company chairman Rafael Contreras says is “an industry high percentage of composite.”
If you’re still on the fence as to whether you’re cool with hurtling down a track at several hundred MPG, you’d better take a stance because Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of HTT is certain Hyperloop will be a reality sooner than we think, suggesting the system can be up and running in just three short years.