Hyperloop One announced the successful completion of the world’s first full systems Hyperloop test in a vacuum environment. This test was Phase 1 of a multi-phase program and was privately conducted on May 12, 2017 at the company’s test track, “DevLoop,” in the Nevada Desert. The vehicle coasted above the first portion of the track for 5.3 seconds using magnetic levitation and reached nearly 2Gs of acceleration, while achieving the Phase 1 target speed of 70mph. The company is now entering the next campaign of testing, which will target speeds of 250 mph.
Hyperloop One tested all the system’s components, including its highly efficient motor, vehicle suspension, magnetic levitation, electromagnetic braking, vacuum pumping system and more, proving the full system’s components operate successfully as a single integrated unit in a vacuum. Nearly 200 engineers, fabricators, welders, etc. dedicated thousands of hours to make this test successful.
“Hyperloop One has accomplished what no one has done before by successfully testing the first full scale Hyperloop system. By achieving full vacuum, we essentially invented our own sky in a tube, as if you’re flying at 200,000 feet in the air,” said Shervin Pishevar, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Hyperloop One.
In addition to announcing the private test, Hyperloop One also unveiled the prototype of its Pod that will work within the integrated system. Using electromagnetic propulsion and magnetic levitation, the Pod will transport passengers and cargo inside the tube. Hyperloop One’s Pod is the only vehicle in the world that, with the company’s proprietary linear electric motor, achieves autonomous high-speed propulsion and levitation in a controlled low-pressure environment. Made of structural aluminum and a lightweight carbon fiber, the shell measures 8.5m long.
Hyperloop One will continue to run tests at DevLoop in the coming months to validate its next-generation components and software. The next phase of testing will showcase the Pod gliding along a longer track at faster speeds.
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