Hyperloop One Ends Dreams of High-Speed Travel

Known for its revolutionary idea of zipping humans through a vacuum at breakneck speeds, Hyperloop One has regrettably announced its closure.

Conceptualized by tech titan Elon Musk, Hyperloop One was an ambitious venture aimed at revolutionizing transportation by slashing travel times dramatically. Despite having serious backers like Richard Branson of Virgin fame on board, the company faced various challenges, leading Branson to withdraw his support in the previous year. Furthermore, the company will be dismissing its remaining workforce by year’s end. This marks an unfortunate finale to the journey of a company that once vowed to usher in a novel era of swift travel.

Hyperloop One proposed using magnetic levitation (maglev), a technology already employed in some existing transit systems, within a vacuum tube. This approach was aimed to mitigate friction and wind resistance, allowing the vehicle to reach jaw-dropping speeds of 700 mph (1,127 km/h). Not only was the concept breathtakingly fast, but it also promised a greener alternative to existing high-speed transit.

Sure enough, the company successfully built several working models in the Nevada desert. However, the project hit a roadblock, with critics pointing out various engineering complexities. The planned system implied the construction of giant tubes across rural and urban landscapes, all of which had to be straight-lined to circumvent issues with turns.

The company managed to conduct a successful pilot test with two employees in 2020, marking the first successful passenger ride using hyperloop technology. Despite reaching an impressive peak speed of 107 mph (172 km/h) on a 546-yard (500-meter) test run, the company altered its strategy in 2022, deciding to transport cargo instead of people. The transition caused over 100 job losses initially, followed by further layoffs later in the year.

As the year came to a close, the firm experienced another setback as Richard Branson, erstwhile company chairman, withdrew, and the Virgin Group followed suit by withdrawing its endorsement. The company also weathered several controversies, including previous director Ziyavudin Magomedov being sentenced in Russia on charges of embezzlement and investor Shervin Pishevar departing in 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

The inspiration for Hyperloop One came from a 2013 report published by Elon Musk, proposing the idea of propelling capsules through tubes at high speeds. Musk’s own venture, The Boring Company, continues to explore similar technology using underground tunnels. Several other global players are still engaged in translating the hyperloop concept into reality, ensuring that the dream of swift, greener transportation might live on.