Virgin Hyperloop to Transport People at 670 mph

Technology

August 26th, 5:26am

Asharq Al-Awsat

A test hyperloop tube is seen at the Virgin Hyperloop facility near Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., May 5, 2021. (Reuters Photo)

Virgin Hyperloop's cutting-edge technology can "comfortably, safely and quietly" shuttle customers along at speeds of up to 670 miles per hour, according to a new promo video from the transportation start-up, The Daily Mail reported. A clip released on Monday explains how passenger pods accelerate through a near-vacuum via electric propulsion, gliding along without actually touching the track thanks to magnetic levitation that limits aerodynamic drag. According to the promo, the company's proprietary design makes it ten times faster than the fastest mag-lev trains operating today in in Japan, China and South Korea. "It unveils details on our smart vehicle, dumb road commercial system architecture, including the on-board levitation engines, propulsion engines, and high-power batteries that have never been publicly shown," a representative said of the clip. It also sings the praises of the trains as an efficient, economical and sustainable mode of transportation with zero carbon emissions. Virgin Hyperloop's 670 mph speed is ten times faster than a typical commercial train and three times as fast as current high-speed rail. (The top speed for Amtrak's Acela trains is about 150 mph.) It's even faster than most commercial jets, which reach cruising speeds of about 460 to 575 mph. Unlike commercial jets, the Hyperloop would have zero direct carbon emissions. Hyperloop pods would travel in clusters but aren't connected like traditional railroad cars, and wouldn't have to be directed at the same destination. "Just like a car taking an off-ramp, pods can split off while the rest of the convoy continues on," the representative explains. The swift, "on-demand" transport model would allow for "tens of thousands of passengers per hour, per direction." In November 2020, Virgin Hyperloop co-founder Josh Giegel and director of passenger experience Sara Luchian became the first human Hyperloop passengers along the 1,640 foot white metal tube at its test facilities in the Nevada desert. The trip took just around 15 seconds to complete and the pod only accelerated to slightly more than 100 miles per hour.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3152971/virgin-hyperloop-transport-people-670-mph