Hyperloop One announces first test run of its propulsion system in Las Vegas desert
The Hyperloop is a train capable of Mach speed and this is the first time its propulsion system will be put through its paces
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Griffin, M. (2017) 'Hyperloop One announces first test run of its propulsion system in Las Vegas desert', 311 Institute, 18 March. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/hyperloop-one-announes-first-test-run-of-its-propulsion-system-in-las-vegas-desert/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Hyperloop One, the company behind trying to bring Elon Musk’s fabled Mach 1.0, or 760mph “train in a tube” Hyperloop, to market, and who last week announced the completion “DevLoop,” the world’s first Hyperloop test track in the Nevada desert, have now announced another world first. They’re going to test their first Hyperloop propulsion system this coming Wednesday.
CEO Rob Lloyd also declared that the company had raised $80 million in venture capital from major transportation firms and is in talks with partners from California to Sweden to take the Elon Musk transportation concept from dream to reality by 2020.
“The Hyperloop is real. It’s happening now,” he said.
While the initial test will fall well short of the vision, first posed by Elon Musk in his 2013 paper, of levitating pods travelling at speeds of over 700mph between San Francisco and Los Angeles, it will mark the start of the next chapter for the technology. And no doubt the rulers of Dubai, who last year announced that they will be the first country to roll out an Emirate wide Hyperloop network from 2021, as well as perhaps observers in India where Hyperloop One just popped in a proposal, will be watching.
“The ethos of Hyperloop is really about connecting,” said co-founder and CTO Brogan BamBrogan, “why can’t we reimagine transportation? I think we can. It’s the 21st Century, yo!”
That may seem like a lot of confidence for a company that’s claim to fame looks like a deconstructed monorail, and whose first test run is only going to hit 116mph using a system that has no brakes, but the technology underlying even the propulsion system is unique enough to justify a little bravado. Magnetic attraction to the track will propel the sled forward at rates comparable to top dragsters, and that’s not to be sniffed at.
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The Hyperloop is a train capable of Mach speed and this is the first time its propulsion system will be put through its paces
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Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 18 March 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). Hyperloop One announces first test run of its propulsion system in Las Vegas desert. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/hyperloop-one-announes-first-test-run-of-its-propulsion-system-in-las-vegas-desert/
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