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posted by martyb on Saturday April 08 2017, @05:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the whoooooooosh! dept.

The first tests of Elon Musk's revolutionary high-speed transport system could begin soon after Hyperloop One, one of 12 companies competing to make the idea a reality, completed its test track. The company has finished work on its 500 metre long testing tunnel, which is situated in the Nevada desert, near Las Vegas, and has a diameter of 3.3 meters. It is expected to run initial trials on the near-supersonic speed train in the first half of this year.

The development follows last month's news that Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, another competing company, has started building the first passenger capsule. The pods will be able to carry 28 to 40 passengers at a time and depart every 40 seconds, the company said. They could be ready as early as next year.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 08 2017, @06:42PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 08 2017, @06:42PM (#490930)

    I suppose they could slow down for corners.

    I'm kind of wondering how they control speed anyway in an evacuated tunnel like that.

  • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Saturday April 08 2017, @07:20PM

    by Immerman (3985) on Saturday April 08 2017, @07:20PM (#490940)

    I believe Musk's originally released plans were for linear motors to be built into the tubes - essentially lots of sophisticated rail guns used to accelerate (or decelerate) the capsules, which then just coast along the track. With proper scheduling you don't even need significant capacitor backup, as the power being generated by slowing one capsule as it enters a curve or station can be used to accelerate another capsule that's just leaving.

    The capsules themselves only power the air cushion that they glide on, with the aid of aerodynamics to efficiently compress the near-vacuum in the tube.

    I think they also planned on electrically powered wheels just as a backup, which would normally be unused except for "taxiing" within stations, but could also be used to recover the capsule in case of vacuum loss or other problems with the tube.