‘Transportation history’: Virgin Hyperloop successfully tests first human ride in Nevada

Virgin Hyperloop, which is the only company in the world that has successfully tested Hyperloop technology, on November 9, completed the first passenger ride on a super-high-speed levitating pod system. According to a press release, Richard Branson’s company made “transportation history” in DevLoop test site in Las Vegas, Nevada. While calling the first human travel in a Hyperloop pod “successful,” Bronson said that the Virgin Group has shown that this “spirit of innovation” will in fact change the way people everywhere live, work and travel in the years to come. 

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The Virgin Hyperloop executives Josh Giegel and Sara Luchian arched the speeds of up to 107 miles per hour (or 172km per hour). The occupants made their maiden voyage on the newly-unveiled XP-2 vehicle, designed by BIG- Bjarke Ingels Group and Kilo Design, which was custom-built with occupant safety and comfort in mind. According to the press note, while the production vehicle will be larger and seat up to 28 passengers, this 2-seater XP-2 vehicle was built to only demonstrate that passengers can in fact safely travel in a Hyperloop vehicle. 

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, who is the chairman of Virgin Hyperloop and Group Chairman and Chief Executive of DP world, said, “I had the true pleasure of seeing history made before my very eyes – to witness the first new mode of mass transportation in over 100 years come to life”. 

He added, “I have always had tremendous faith in the team at Virgin Hyperloop to transform this technology into a safe system, and today we have done that. We are one step closer to ushering in a new era of ultra-fast, sustainable movement of people and goods”. 

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Pathway for Hyperloop regulation, deployment 

The recent announcement builds off significant momentum on the regulatory front. The company encode a future a where floating pods packed with passengers and cargo hurtle through vacuum tubes at 600 miles an hour or faster. The Hyperloop system uses magnetic levitation to allow near-silent travel. In a Hyperloop, a trip between New York and Washington would take just 30 minutes and it would be twice as fast as a commercial jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train. 

Now, the historic announcement not only provides a pathway for Hyperloop regulation and deployment in the United States but also establishes Hyperloop’s eligibility for federal funding for projects. The federal momentum will pave the way for the certification of Hyperloop systems around the globe, which will be a key step towards commercial projects. Previously, the company had run over 400 tests without human passengers at the Nevada site. 

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