Elon Musk has shed a little light on what the next phase of Hyperloop testing will involve, and the plan sounds suitably “nutty”.
Everyone’s favourite rockstar entrepreneur is plotting a speed test, in which he’s not only hoping to get a pod moving at 381 miles per hour, but also make it stop − all within a distance of 1.2km, or 0.75 miles.
If he pulls it off, Musk will also set a new Hyperloop speed record. The current fastest speed, recorded in December by Virgin’s Hyperloop One, is 240 miles per hour.
Related: Hyperloop takes a big step towards reality
“Upgraded SpaceX/Tesla Hyperloop pod speed test soon. Will try to reach half speed of sound (and brake) within ~1.2km,” Musk wrote on Twitter.
“This is kinda nutty for such a short distance, so could easily end up being shredded metal, but exciting either way.”
The eventual aim is for Hyperloop to be capable of transporting people at speeds of 700 miles per hour. Hopefully “shredded metal” fears will be well behind us by then. Musk is yet to reveal a date for the proposed speed test, but we’ll update you when he does.
He’s also confirmed that Tesla Model 3 cars equipped with a dual-motor will arrive in July − as long as the company reaches its target of producing 5,000 standard Model 3s a week.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
