Transport
- Virgin Hyperloop has successfully tested human travel in a hyperloop pod for the first time.
- Josh Giegel, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, and Sara Luchian, Director of Passenger Experience, were the first people in the world to travel on this innovative technology – the first new mode of mass transportation in over a century.
- The test took place at Virgin Hyperloop’s 500-meter DevLoop test site in Las Vegas, where the company has previously run over 400 un-occupied tests.
Interior for Virgin Hyperloop One designed by BMW Designworks.
The occupants made their maiden voyage on the newly-unveiled XP-2 vehicle, designed by BIG –Bjarke Ingels Group and Kilo Design, which was custom-built with occupant safety and comfort in mind. While the production vehicle will be larger and seat up to 28 passengers, this 2-seater XP-2 vehicle was built to demonstrate that passengers can in fact safely travel in a hyperloop vehicle.
The announcement follows Virgin Hyperloop’s announcement of its Hyperloop Certification Center (HCC) in West Virginia last month, which was follow up to the USDOT guidance document in July on a clear regulatory framework for hyperloop in the United States. This historic safety demonstration, combined with the advancements at the HCC, will pave the way for the certification and federal funding of hyperloop systems around the world – a key step towards commercial projects. The next step is validating the commercial product at HCC.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
