The new record of Virgin Hyperloop One

Virgin Hyperloop One is proud of its new record: the prototype of a passenger capsule on a magnetic cushion which could accelerate up to 387 km / h. The project of a train moving in a vacuum tube on the...

Virgin Hyperloop One is proud of its new record: the prototype of a passenger capsule on a magnetic cushion which could accelerate up to 387 km / h.

The project of a train moving in a vacuum tube on the principle of magnetic levitation was proposed by Elon Musk in 2013. Today several companies are working on the idea. Among them are SpaceX, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) and Hyperloop One.

The board of directors of Hyperloop One is now headed by Richard Branson, the legendary entrepreneur and founder of the conglomerate of Virgin Group companies. Branson believed in the bright future of Hyperloop One and invested in its development. So now the name of the company has the word Virgin in it.

The prototype is being tested at the DevLoop training ground near Las Vegas. The capsule moves inside a sealed overground pipe with a very low pressure of 2 ᐧ 10-4 atmospheres. Magnetic cushion allows to minimize the resistance when the capsule moves.

The previous record speed of 310 km / h demonstrated that the system is reliable. Now engineers are working to achieve the next ambitious goal: to reach the speed of an aircraft.

The Russian fund Caspian Venture Capital and DP World from the UAE decided to invest $ 50 million based on the authority of Richard Branson. Due to these investments Virgin Hyperloop One is now able to enter the markets of the Middle East, Europe and Russia, Branson said.

The company is seeking state support in countries focused on improving transport infrastructure by offering innovative ultrafast magnetic cushion trains. For example, Estonia has already signed a contract with Hyperloop One, and one of the lines of the vacuum system will connect Tallinn and Helsinki.