Imagine sitting down in a bus-sized capsule, strapping on a seatbelt, taking off, breaking the sound barrier, and arriving at a vacation destination hundreds of miles away in a matter of minutes, with the function of a Hyperloop travel system.
The Hyperloop travel system uses the power of high-pressure and low-pressure propulsion by vacuum sealing the tube, which minimizes friction and maximizes acceleration.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, an organization dedicated to the technological advancement of travel, has announced the design and construction of a Hyperloop traveling system to begin this year in Quay Valley, Calif.
“Our agreement with Quay Valley is a major milestone in the advancement of the Hyperloop project. This installation will allow us to demonstrate all systems on a full scale,” said Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies.
The travel system will be entirely powered by renewable energy, with the majority of electricity generated from solar cells mounted a top the miles of track and tubes.
Carbon emissions from busses, cars, and even airplanes could be dramatically reduced if a Hyperloop were able to stretch across the country, which means cleaner air – something the state of Utah could appreciate.
Boasting top speeds of 720mph, passengers could travel from Salt Lake City to St. George in 40 minutes. The hyper loop will travel faster than the speed of sound, as passenger capsules move through a vacuum-sealed, weather resistant tube.
“I think that it should be the environmentally safe way to travel that will hopefully spread throughout the country, and new investors should be interested in new ways of transport rather than just following oil money,” said Bonny Dowling, a psychology major at UVU.
Serious obstacles still exist for the Hyperloop Transportation System, one of which being funding.
Ahlborn claims that a Hyperloop track stretching down the length of California would cost roughly $6 billion. While that figure is intimidating, it is only a fraction of the cost of the proposed California High-Speed Rail project, which is projected to cost well over $68 billion.
“These sort of things are exactly what we need,” said Richard Kunsman, a business major at UVU. “Not only does this thing run on solar power, and travel lightening fast, but it is cheaper than most other public transit options.”
Leaders and engineers at Hyperloop Transportation Technologies have plans for extending the reach of Hyperloop, enabling travellers to enjoy supersonic travel times nationwide.
