To educate consumers who may be confused about what the hyperloop actually is and how it works, Virgin Hyperloop created a video that explains its technology and why it may be important to the future of transportation.
Hyperloop technology uses magnetic levitation to lift a pod off the track and guide it as it moves, creating a friction-free track. Almost all the air in the tube surrounding the pod is removed to create the same environment found at 200,000 ft above sea level. The combination of the linear motor, magnetic levitation and low-pressure tube reduces drag so that only a small amount of electricity is needed to propel the pod at speeds as high as 670 mph. This could possibly create a more cost-effective system than high-speed rail or airline transportation.
Virgin’s system uses a vacuum environment inside a tube, which enables high speeds and low power consumption by nearly eliminating aerodynamic drag. This allows it to reach the speed of 670 mph using magnetic levitation and propulsion.
Last year, Virgin was one of the first companies to test the technology using real people, and now the company is focusing on creating a commercial product that will allow the transportation technology to transport both people and cargo.
Unlike trains, pods on a hyperloop track will not be connected, meaning multiple pods could leave a single station and then break off and travel to multiple destinations ferrying passengers to locations wherever another station is built.
Virgin is simultaneously working on an app that will allow on-demand services for the hyperloop to match the transportation convenience of trains and planes.
While the video doesn’t give too much more information regarding how far along Virgin is with the technology or when a commercial product may become available, it gives insight into how they are at the very least planning to do it.
