Virgin Hyperloop One — Pneumatic dispatch on steroids
No matter where considerations about the future of mobility are made, the magic word “Hyperloop” is never far away. This refers to a high-speed transport system, which has been fueling bold dreams of a whole new, fifth transportation mode for goods and people since 2013, based on a concept paper by Tesla founder Elon Musk. In simple terms, these are capsules that are fired through pipes using (partial) vacuum — a comparatively eco-friendly concept, similar to pneumatic dispatch, and was used in the construction of the Transrapid.
The basic idea of movement without air resistance in an evacuated pipe has been around for over 200 years and was projected in the 1970s, but never implemented in particular due to the horrendous costs involved. Despite all prophecies of doom regarding feasibility and affordability, Musk’s vision inspired several start-ups, which then really did address the implementation. Today’s frontrunners include: Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) and Virgin Hyperloop One, the much better financed, more aggressive competitor. Since 2014, the company has been working with over 200 people on the technology, which may equate to a travel revolution on distances of up to 1,500 kilometers.
Increasing urbanization, a growing number of commuters and travelers, increasing environmental standards — there is much to be said for the Hyperloop concept in the way Musk conceived it at the drawing board. A popular example for the application is the 600-kilometer route from San Francisco to Los Angeles, which a Hyperloop capsule should complete in under 30 minutes. By car, it currently takes six to seven hours, and one hour by plane.
The company is currently developing a basic technology which could be licensed. A positioning as a mobility platform or even a traditional mobility provider which operates a network at different locations is generally conceivable. In the end, the makers promise “transportation at airline speed for the price of a bus ticket” — broadband for mobility, so to speak.
As so often in the start-up land of opportunity, the management is made up of lateral entrants: CEO Rob Llyod worked at Cisco for 20 years, his co-founder Shervin Pishevar is a start-up investor. Behind the duo is an illustrious group of engineers, physicists, mechanical engineers, tech nerds and start-up people.
Until now, Hyperloop One has been able to accumulate over $140M in three financing rounds. Countless institutional venture capitalists and wealthy individuals believe in the bold project — including corporate whizz-kid Virgin. The spearhead is the mentioned Valley billionaire Shervin Pishevar, a former investor in Uber. There is no doubt that Hyperloop One will require many further financing rounds until it is ready for market
It will be quite some time before Hyperloop One & Co. is able to fire people through pipes at over 1,200 km/hour. The founders’ vision is ambitious: By 2020, they want to transport goods, and just one year later, passengers. But even if the whole thing takes ten years longer, this is no longer science fiction. A short test route is already up and running, and engineers have been constructing the first transport capsule since March 2017. At the same time, lobbying for specific routes is also underway. The spectrum currently ranges from connecting Boston with the surroundings through an express between Florida’s booming cruise ship ports and Disney World Orlando.
If the groundbreaking event does happen, the implications are obvious: Hyperloop could replace flight and rail travel on certain routes. The ICE route from Berlin to Munich will only take four hours from late 2017. The Hyperloop could manage this distance in half an hour. While technological doubts are continuing to shrink, the question of financial feasibility remains largely open: The mentioned route between Los Angeles and San Francisco alone may well eat up between six and seven billion USD. As such, it is reasonable to assume that any first route is rather to begin operation in the Arab Emirates or in China.
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