Virgin Hyperloop successfully completed its first manned test ride in the Nevada desert on Sunday.
“For the past few years, the Virgin Hyperloop team has been working on turning its ground breaking technology into reality,” said Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, in a statement. “With today’s successful test, we have shown that this spirit of innovation will in fact change the way people everywhere live, work, and travel in the years to come.”
Virgin Hyperloop is a strategic partnership between Hyperloop One and the Virgin Group. Branson is the chairman of the partnership’s board.
Chief Technology Officer Josh Giegel and Director of Passenger Experience Sara Luchian were the ride’s two passengers and rode on a 500-meter test track.
The Hyperloop is a new form of transportation similar to the high-speed maglev trains in Japan, South Korea, and China, but it has one key difference — the train travels in a near-complete vacuum tube. In theory, a hyperloop train would be able to travel at approximately 600 mph, according to CNN. At that speed, a trip from New York City to Los Angeles would take a few hours.
The relatively short test track prevented the Virgin Hyperloop’s XP-2 vehicle from reaching those speeds, though it still managed to hit speeds of 100 mph. The goal of this test ride wasn’t speed — Virgin Hyperloop wanted “to demonstrate that passengers can in fact safely travel in a hyperloop vehicle,” according to the press release.
“I can’t tell you how often I get asked, ‘Is hyperloop safe?’” said Virgin Hyperloop One CEO Jay Walder. “With today’s passenger testing, we have successfully answered this question, demonstrating that not only can Virgin Hyperloop safely put a person in a pod in a vacuum environment but that the company has a thoughtful approach to safety, which has been validated by an independent third party.”
With speeds that outstrip most airlines, the Hyperloop would also be far more energy-efficient, according to Giegel. The Hyperloop also has the ability to be constructed above ground or below ground. According to CNN, Virgin Hyperloop envisions a system of hyperloop tubes connecting cities across the United States.
Virgin Hyperloop’s next target is a 6-mile testing facility in West Virginia. It is still raising money for the $500 million endeavor. Walder said he expects the company’s system to be certified by 2026 and is hopeful the U.S. could see them proposed before the end of the decade.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Virgin Hyperloop for further comment.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect the approximate time it would take for the Hyperloop to travel from New York City to Los Angeles.
