Elon Musk's literal (transportation) pipe dream,Drama Archives Hyperloop One, just hit another critical milestone: The first Hyperloop test track—or really, test tube—is finished.
The 1,640-foot long tube doesn't go anywhere. It isn't even a loop, just a perfectly straight line of conjoined tubes (Hyperloop said that was always the plan). Inside that tube, Hyperloop will continue to build, test and perfect the mag-lev-based, sub-supersonic, tube-based travel technology first envisioned by Elon Musk in 2013. Hyperloop technology could conceivably cut inter-state travel time down from hours to minutes.
SEE ALSO: There's a new Hyperloop company, and its leader is a familiar faceThe company announced the milestone on Thursday, just weeks after offering the first videos of their progress in the Nevada desert, just miles from Las Vegas. Hyperloop One also unveiled details for 11 U.S.-based Hyperloop routes.
The news comes almost a year after Hyperloop's first and last big public test. At that time, the company had only an open rail track, and the propulsion test lasted just a few seconds.
What followed was months of turmoil, including the departure of co-founder and CTO Brogan BamBrogran, who recently founded his own Hyperloop company.
The last seven months, though, has been virtually all positive news and forward progress. Hyperloop One secured feasibility agreements with Dubai and the United Arab Emirates last fall, and they've been teasing us with Hyperloop One experience sizzle reels for months.
"Hyperloop One is the only company in the world building an operational commercial Hyperloop system," said Rob Lloyd, chief executive officer of Hyperloop One, in a release.
It's true. While there are other Hyperloop companies out there, including Hyperloop Technologies, no one besides Hyperloop One has built as much or run even a single public test.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable The 11 proposed routes, which came from individuals, universities, and several state transportation departments, are the result of the Hyperloop One Global Challenge the company kicked off last year. The routes under consideration cut across multiple cities and states, including Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island, Miami and Orlando, Florida, and Seattle and Portland, Washington. Route distances range from a little over 100 miles to 1,152 miles for the Cheyenne, Wyoming to Houston, Texas, route.
The next big step is to install the Hyperloop levitation guidance motor in the tube. The company still has to build its first Hyperloop transportation pod.
Hyperloop One said they're still on track to deliver passengers, cargo and freight by 2021. We assume it will be on one of these routes.
Where can we buy our tickets?
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Topics Elon Musk
