Hyperloop One: First Tests Reach 113 km/h

The US company Hyperloop One has successfully tested its sliding carriage in a closed session. In the process 113 km/h were reached, which is far away from Hyperloop's final speed.

According to Hyperloop One they have tested their technology in a vacuum environment at full size at 12th of May. However this took place privately, but TV broadcaster CBS now shows a short video of the tests. CNBC reports at first about the test, which certainly is very short. The test-vehicle reached around 110 km/h and was lifting off the stabilizers for 5.3 seconds. The test track is 500 meters long like The Verge reports.

Hyperloop moves in an almost airless tube and uses magnetic levitation technology - that's how air resistance and friction is strongly reduced. This will make it possible in the future to reach speeds of 1,200 kilometres per hour. Still developers are far away from that.

Cofounder Shervin Pishevar describes the test as "Kitty Hawk Moment" of the company based on the first flight of the Wright brothers. The next goal is to reach a speed of 400 km/h.

Hyperloop is a new kind of public transport, which was invented by Elon Musk in the year of 2013. It drives in a tube in which almost a vacuum rules. A levitating capsule moves over tracks, held by magnetic fields and generates an air pad under the vehicle. The air pad is created by a compressor which exhausts air in front of the capsule, but which wasn't used in this test.

Musks concept is Open Source. Currently a few actors work on the implementation: Besides Hyperloop One, Hyperloop transportation Technologies (HTT) also participates on the work. The Canadian Transpod is the third company involved into the implementation of Musks high speed transport vehicle. The fourth company, Arrivo, The Arrival Company consists of former employees of Hyperloop One.