Tesla's Hyperloop podsets new high-speed record
Supporters claim that the pod will eventually travel at a speed of about 1000km/h (700mph).
The futuristic hyperloop transport system is fast approaching – at 355km/h. The Tesla-branded Hyperloop ‘pusher pod’ has hit 220mph ( 355km/h), breaking the 201mph speed record set by students of team WARR at the Hyperloop Pod competition held earlier this week, Elon Musk revealed in a post.
Both records were set at the ‘near-vacuum’ 1.3km (0.8miles) Hyperloop tunnel track that runs parallel to Musk’s SpaceX, a rocket building company, in California.
“We took the SpaceX/Tesla Hyperloop pusher pod for a spin by itself a few days ago to see what it could do when not pushing student pods (some need a push to get going, e.g. passive maglev),” Musk wrote in an Instagram post. “Kind of like racing with a tugboat. Maybe able get past 500 km/h [310mph] (about half speed of sound) next month with a few tweaks or maybe tiny pieces,” he added.
He also said that improvements to the test track might mean the pods hit 500 km/h next month.
According to Hyperloop supporters, the pod trains that are powered by electric propulsion and use magnetic cushion will avoid being slowed down by air pressure or the friction of wheels on rails, making them faster and cheaper to operate. They claim that the pod will eventually travel at a speed of about 1000km/h (700mph).