Hyperloop Propulsion Gets Public Demo

One of the companies working on Hyperloop technology has carried out a public test of one element of the high-speed transport.

The test was carried out by Hyperloop One, the new name for the company formerly known as Hyperloop Technologies. It’s one of three companies working on the technology that has been highly publicized by Elon Musk. In simplified terms, the technology involves propelling passenger capsules through a partial vacuum tube, suspending them above the ground in a similar manner to air hockey pucks. Once the capsule is in motion an electric fan and an air compressor will take high pressure air from the front of the capsule’s exterior and transfer it to the rear, thus continuing to move the capsule forwards. One long-term goal is to convey passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes.

This week’s test didn’t involve the tubes or the vacuum. Instead it merely demonstrated the way a linear engine will provide the initial propulsion to get the capsule moving. The test, on an open-air track, showed the capsule accelerating from zero to 116 miles per hour in 1.1 seconds.

In some ways the successful test isn’t a major surprise or breakthrough. As Hyperloop One’s technology chief Brogan BamBrogan (seriously) told Wired, each individual element of Hyperloop is known to work. The challenge is successfully combining those elements in an affordable manner.