New Hyperloop Speed Record

Hyperloop One Beats Out Musk for New Hyperloop Speed Record

How long will this one last?

VIRGIN HYPERLOOP ONE

By Avery Thompson

Hyperloops are still years or decades from ever transporting their first passengers, but that doesn’t mean a few companies aren’t still working on improving the design. Hyperloop One—which recently received an investment from Virgin Group and became Virgin Hyperloop One—just broke a new record for the fastest hyperloop pod yet: The pod managed to travel a whopping 240 miles per hour.


It’s difficult to say with certainty that this is the fastest hyperloop pod in the world, because there might be some secret groups with faster speeds. But among publicly released hyperloop tests, the previous record holder was Elon Musk, with a speed of 220 mph.

Virgin Hyperloop One managed to beat Musk’s record with a combination of two technologies: a vacuum capable of reducing air pressures to the level seen 200,000 feet above sea level, and magnetic levitation capable of eliminating friction between the hyperloop pod and the track. With these two technologies, the company managed to gain an extra 20 miles per hour over Elon Musk.

Even with this achievement, hyperloop tech still has a long way to go. The pods and tracks are still very expensive to build, and the speeds that these pods can reach are still not nearly fast enough. For comparison, Japan’s bullet trains can reach max speeds of 375 mph, and that’s at standard air pressures.

Maybe if we’re lucky we'll get to ride in a functioning hyperloop before we die.

Source: Wired