Elon Musk's project Hyperloop One has announced nine potential European routes to "transform transportation".
Hyper loop One says its vision for Europecreates economic unification to, "Provide better options for people living outside economic centres and large cities; increases capacity of strategic corridors sustainably to develop city-to-city connections within commuting range, enabling a thriving, greener mega-region; and offers next generation logistics to facilitate fast, reliable and clean movement of goods."
With Hyperloop One, passengers and cargo are loaded into a pod and accelerated gradually via electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube. The pod quickly lifts above the track using magnetic levitation and glides at airline speeds for long distances due to ultra-low aerodynamic drag. It is designed for higher energy efficiency per passenger mile than traditional modes of transport, curbing emissions and fuel consumption. By the end of 2017, Hyperloop One says it will have a team of 500 employees dedicated to bringing the technology to life.
Of the nine potential European, one is called the North-South Connector, another the Northern Arc and a third - at more than 1,000km, linking Scotland and Wales.
Hyperloop One says the nine proposed routes will connect 75 million people in 44 cities, spanning 5,000 kilometres.
'Europe embraces new ideas in transportation like no other region in the world and is uniquely positioned to take the next great leap in transportation with Hyperloop One,' said Shervin Pishevar, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Hyperloop One. 'Our vision is to, one day, connect all of Europe with our Hyperloop One system, networking the entire continent.'
'For Europe, Hyperloop One technology is complementary to existing highways, rails, ports and overall infrastructure,' said Rob Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of Hyperloop One. 'Hyperloop One will offer Europe's transport grid with an option that is more efficient, greener, on-demand and faster. We've seen a lot of interest here, and we look forward to creating a partnership to enhance the continent's transport infrastructure.'
'Hyperloop One is the only company in the world that has built a fully functioning Hyperloop system test track,' said Hyperloop One co-founder and President of Engineering Josh Giegel. 'For the last two years, our team of nearly 200 engineers, technicians and fabricators developed our technology and transformed a stretch of desert in the U.S. into a working test track that proves we can build a Hyperloop system anywhere in the world. We're looking forward to showcasing our technology and believe that Europe is the perfect region for one of the world's first Hyperloop systems.'
