Reports of a Russian version of Elon Musk's Hyperloop technology have been confirmed. Hyperloop One and Russian company the Summa Group have signed an agreement with the city of Moscow to explore building Hyperloop One systems in Russia's capital.
The technology could transport passengers from Western Russia to the Far East, with an initial system moving between Moscow and St Petersburg.
"Moscow is a city of 16 million with legendary traffic congestion and rents out of reach for many citizens," explained Hyperloop One in a blog post. "Hyperloop One's on-demand transportation system could give capital region commuters weeks of their lives back by moving them out of cars and into Hyperloop One vehicles gliding at speeds north of 400 mph in low-pressure tubes powered by quiet electric propulsion."
The deal with Moscow is Hyperloop One's fourth agreement. The firm is also looking to bring the technology to Finland and the United Kingdom.
"Engineering work is underway at a smooth clip and we're still aiming for 'Kitty Hawk' later this year: that moment when we demonstrate a complete system with pod, track, tube, non-contact levitation and propulsion in a vacuum (and braking)," the blog post continued.
Hyperloop is a solar-powered transportation system that features small pods which travel at speeds up to 700mph inside low-friction tubes. This would significantly reduce journey times.
Travelling from London to Glasgow in such a system, for example, would reduce the journey time from four hours to just 30 minutes and cost around £5.2bn to build.
Hyperloop One recently conducted its first successful test, with an sled reaching nearly 187kph on a short test track, with a propulsion system using electromagnetic energy built into the blocks that push the sled along the track. Although the test only lasted a few seconds, it was the first successful demonstration of the technology.
Three firms are battling it out to to be the first to build a Hyperloop system, and recently received more than £50 million in funding.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
