Hyperloop One plans to build the first commercial hyperloop transportation system to go from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in about 12 minutes. Working off of Elon Musk’s famous idea, Hyperloop One signed a deal with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to figure out how to build this system in Dubai. While exactly where the Hyperloop will run is still unclear, the company did offer up some impressive renderings of what the future may look like.
The 100-mile drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi usually takes two hours by car. The Hyperloop system involves levitating pods being shot through tubes up to 750 miles per hour, turning a two hour ride into roughly 12 minutes. While originally the Hyperloop was proposed to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco, the company has taken their plans to Dubai. Shervin Pishevar, Executive Chairman, Hyperloop One, explained in a press release, “Technology is evolving and transforming how we live, yet we lack real innovation in mass transportation and the current system has stagnated. Hyperloop One is focused on transport that’s far more efficient, fast and clean. It will change the dynamics of how we move goods and people. Dubai makes perfect sense for Hyperloop One because this is the 21st century’s global transport hub and its leaders understand that Hyperloop One is ushering in the next era of transportation.”
Unlike other types of fast travel that requires planning in advance and is costly, the Hyperloop is meant for spontaneous travelers and will be reasonably priced. The interior of the pods is different from other types of transportation as it places an emphasis on customization. The pods, which can seat 6 to 100 people comfortably, are designed to have more of a living-room feel and be less reminiscent of airplane/bus seating of people crammed into small chairs all facing one direction. Individual pods can be customized in various set ups such as meeting rooms and lounges.
The Hyperloop’s docking stations will be arranged in circles or into a cloverleaf shape, allowing them to be more flexible and take up less space than the stations for trains or airports. Once inside a pod, passengers can watch the view thanks to something called the zoetrope effect. Josh Giegel, cofounder and president of engineering at Hyperloop One explained how the zoetrope effect works, “Imagine that you’re sitting inside of a dark tunnel, and every 15 meters or so, there’s a small window. That window’s probably no bigger than the size of your computer screen. As you get up to speed, you’ll pass one of those windows about 30 times per second . . . Because it’s light outside and dark inside the tube, you actually get a very bright image that looks like it’s a clear tube the whole way.” While there will be multiple portals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the pods will travel directly to destinations without making any stops. The company also plans for the system to be an “end-to-end network connector” that connects to other forms of transportation such as train stations or metro lines.
With over $160 million raised in funding over the past two years, Hyperloop One doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd claims, “The momentum is global and accelerating. The world will see the test of the first full-scale Hyperloop system in early 2017 at our Test and Safety Site in Nevada and we will have multiple operational Hyperloop systems within five years.”
Source via: PRNewswire
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Article Written by Mila Medonaite for Design Engine, November 10, 2016