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Virgin Hyperloop One recruits former MTA chief as CEO
Virgin Hyperloop One's mission to redefine transport is, once again, going to be led by new people as the company announces a new chairman and CEO. Replacing Sir Richard Branson as head of the board is his Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the head of DP World. The outgoing CEO Rob Lloyd, meanwhile, is being succeeded by transportation veteran Jay Walder (pictured), former head of the MTA.
Richard Branson steps down as Virgin Hyperloop One chairman
Richard Branson is stepping down as chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One. He confirmed the decision to Reuters, claiming that the company needs a more heavily involved leader on its mission to build a fully functional hyperloop transportation system.
Hyperloop One says Missouri route is economically viable
Virgin Hyperloop One has announced the results of a feasibility study on a planned route connecting Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis. The study, which has yet to be published in full, purports that the route between the three cities is commercially viable. Researchers at Black & Veatch examined the engineering, viability and economic challenges of a proposed line running parallel to I-70.
Virgin Hyperloop One to build a research facility in Spain
Virgin Hyperloop One announced today that it's expanding into Europe. The company plans to build a $500 million development facility in the small village of Bobadilla located in the Andalusian region of Spain. The center will develop, test and certify components of the firm's hyperloop systems -- though there won't be a test track at this location, a spokesperson told The Verge -- and it's projected to be up and running by 2020.
Hyperloop One and DP World launch a cargo-only shipping business
Virgin Hyperloop One and DP World have announced the launch of a new company that will push the technology into the cargo industry. DP World Cargospeed is a new project that will see the pair look to build Hyperloop-enabled cargo systems to transport "palletized cargo." It's not much of a departure from what Hyperloop One has always said it would do, but the new company will be responsible for making it work.
Hyperloop is edging closer to reality
Plenty has happened in the five years since Elon Musk first published his white paper on a system he called hyperloop. Since releasing that manifesto to the world, hundreds of people and hundreds of millions of dollars have been put to work, all in the service of bringing Musk's retro-futurist dream of a vacuum tube for people to life. And despite being less than a fever dream half a decade ago, the pace of innovation is notably increasing, with 2018 already including several big announcements regarding its future.
India inches ahead in the race to build a Hyperloop
Plenty of places have committed to exploring the economic viability of building a Hyperloop, but nobody has been brave enough to say they'll actually construct one. It's why the news coming out of India's latest announcement is such a big deal, because it includes a pledge to build a working test track.
Missouri wants to bring Hyperloop to the midwest
The state of Missouri has signed a deal with Virgin Hyperloop One to investigate if it's worth building a high-speed link between three of its biggest cities. A team of interested parties will examine the feasibility of constructing a route between Kansas City, Columbia and St Louis, parallel to I-70. That will include looking at the engineering challenges, as well as the potential economic benefits of such a route.
Touring Hyperloop One's ever-evolving test site
Virgin Hyperloop One, a company that's developing a new way of moving people around the world, has precedent when it comes to missing deadlines. The company pledged to test a fully working Hyperloop by the end of 2016, but its first test didn't take place until Aug. 2017. The future doesn't conform to timetables, and we can forgive plenty, but it's still with trepidation that the company sets its next ambitious goal. It intends to have a full-size, passenger-ready Hyperloop in operation by 2021. After touring the transport company's DevLoop site in Clark County, Nevada, it's clear the challenges now aren't technical but political.
A closer look at the Hyperloop One test pod
Here at CES, Virgin Hyperloop One is showing off a new partnership with mapping company Here, and we sat down with the company's Matt Jones to explore it further. He, alongside Dr. Anita Sengupta, talked us through the app in greater detail, but there was an additional surprise in store. The company has dragged its XP-1 test pod from the Nevada desert to the show in order to let the public gaze upon it for the first time.
Hyperloop One and Here made an app for imaginary Hyperloops
Virgin Hyperloop One has teamed up with mapping company Here to build an app that lets you pretend that Hyperloops are real. The app is designed to be your transportation portal in a future where vacuum tubes are connecting all of our major cities as one. Imagine a version of Citymapper that let you choose between cars, planes, trains or Hyperloops as you jump between, for instance, Las Vegas and LA.
Richard Branson is Virgin Hyperloop One’s new chairman (updated)
Earlier this month, Virgin Hyperloop One co-founder Shervin Pishevar took a leave of absence from the company and his venture capital firm Sherpa Capital following allegations of sexual harassment and a November arrest for rape that didn't result in a charge. Now, Axios reports that Hyperloop One has a new chairman -- Richard Branson.
Virgin Hyperloop One might build networks in India
Virgin Hyperloop One is eyeing the possibility of building networks of high-speed tube transportation in India. The company, which recently rebranded to include "Virgin" in its name after Richard Branson's investment, has started conducting studies with three Indian states to determine potential routes. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are looking to offer hyperloops as part of their public transit system in the future to give people a way to travel from their homes to India's economic centers in a few minutes instead of a few hours.
Richard Branson and Virgin join forces with Hyperloop One
Today, the Virgin Group has announced that it has invested in Hyperloop One, the startup that recently demonstrated a working prototype of the travel system. As well as cash, and the involvement of Sir Richard Branson, the company will re-brand as Virgin Hyperloop One in the near future. In a statement, Branson described the technology as the "world's most revolutionary train service."
