Elon Musk’s futuristic Hyperloop transport system edges closer to reality

A California company with visions of building a futuristic transportation system to one day zip people and packages at nearly the speed of sound has announced it is building a test facility in southern Nevada. Hyperloop Technologies Inc. and the Nevada governor’s office said the 50-acre facility at a fledgling North Las Vegas business park will test a linear electric motor at speeds up to 335 mph — about half the speed envisioned in a full-scale system. The cost of the so-called Propulsion Open Air Test wasn’t disclosed. The company said it has raised $37 million from investors and expects to obtain $80 million more in bond financing.

This decision represents another major milestone in our journey to bring Hyperloop to commercial reality.

Rob Lloyd, CEO of the Los Angeles-based company

The concept, which was described in 2013 by Tesla and SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk, rips a page from science fiction and aims to make it reality. Pressurized capsules would zoom on a thin cushion of air through pneumatic-style tubes with little friction, powered by magnetic attraction and solar power. Developers envision transporting freight and passengers at speeds up to 750 mph — a pace that could cut the 400-mile trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco to less an hour. The speed of sound is 767 mph.

The physics of it works. The real question is, can you get it to a point where it will be cost-competitive with other means of transportation?

R. John Hansman Jr., aeronautics and astronautics professor at MIT

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