Virgin Hyperloop completes its first test with actual passengers 📦

19    09 Nov 2020 12:43 by u/Banned_Redditor

6 comments

7 u/None 09 Nov 2020 12:51
I love this Potemkin village called hyperloop. Calling this a "first test" is utterly idiotic. The test did not even touch the surface of the actual technology needed for the project to become reality. If you call anything running through a tube a "test of hyperloop" then the world has been performing just that for well over a century. It's called metro/underground/tube. A meaningful test has to test major components, i.e. low-pressure environment in the tube, airlocks between tube segments, magnetic levitation and propulsion systems and achieve speed higher than 10 % of the target. This "test" did none of that as far as I can see. Basically all it tested is that wheels turn and it did not address anything unique and prerequisite to hyperloop. It's a total farce.
2 u/1ethanhansen 09 Nov 2020 17:37
Where are you seeing that they didn't have low pressure in the tube? To be clear, I agree it's a weak sauce test to go half a kilometer lol
3 u/None 09 Nov 2020 17:43
Maybe they did, it's hard to find actual information that is not a ton of hyped-up marketing.
6 u/MegaRichAsshole 09 Nov 2020 14:49
The Virgin Hyperloop vs. The Chad Heavy Rail
4 u/Banned_Redditor [OP] 09 Nov 2020 12:44
Damn, up to 600 mph. That's like from Philly to Boston in 40 minutes. True intercity commuting may become a thing.
3 u/encyclopediagalactica 09 Nov 2020 13:36
If it's a thing before I'm an old man I'll be impressed. There's a lot that goes into the technology and the legal/planning aspects can't be over emphasized. If something does go wrong, can you imagine the catastrophic damage to the immediate area from all of that kinetic energy? I hope to be eating my words but I have my doubts.