Hyperloop Test Track Construction Could Start Next Year
Construction on a hyperloop test track in California could start early next year, the CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has revealed. Dirk Ahlborn told the Voice of America that his company will break ground on an eight kilometer (4.98 mile) long test track at Quay Valley in King’s County, California, at the beginning of next year.
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The short test track will be used to test the viability of Hyperloop and to solve practical problems related to the system’s operation, such as passenger hauling and maintenance. Ahlborn did not say how much the test facility will cost, but he is trying to raise $6 to $10 billion for a full-sized system at Quay Valley through his crowdsourced effort.
Not to be outdone, Ahlborn’s main competitor, Hyperloop Technologies, has posted pictures of the inside of the hyperloop testing tube it is building in Downtown Los Angeles. The tube is made of solid steel, which will undoubtedly disappoint those that want a clear tube.
One has to wonder which of these companies will get its prototype up and running first. No updates are available on the test track that Elon Musk plans to build at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
It looks as if some sort of Hyperloop prototype capable of hauling people or freight could be up and running in a couple of years. That way we can see if this technology will actually work or not. One has to wonder what the growing legion of Hyperloop detractors will have to say to that. The future of transportation could look very different from what they say it could be.
