New York: Think about the future of transportation, and you can imagine the old animated show “The Jetsons,” with everyone flying in personal spaceships.
Not only did this never happen, but we’re still piling on weird old subways and buses.
josh giggle Wants to start from scratch. Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Virgin Hyperloop We hope to peek between cities in minutes, a future not as far away as you might imagine.
Giggle sat down with Reuters to talk about how this emerging technology could change the way we live and work.
Q: Humanity is facing all kinds of transportation challenges, so why do you think the Hyperloop is the right solution?
A: We are looking at moving a large amount of people at the speed of a plane, giving them the opportunity to live where they want to live and work where they want to work. A Hyperloop would move as many people and goods as a 30-lane highway.
Q: How does Hyperloop work?
A: We carry you inside a tube, which brings you a lot of advantages. It’s impervious to the weather, and you avoid a lot of things that lead to accidents, like crossings.
Inside the tube we expel almost all the air, allowing you to go at high speed with very little energy consumption. We use magnetic levitation technology, so there’s no grinding, and everything is contactless and smooth. With electromagnetic propulsion, and 20-30 passengers per pod, we can move thousands of passengers per hour.
Q: You actually rode one at your Nevada testing facility, so what was it like?
A: From starting it in a garage seven years ago, to drawing it on a whiteboard, to sitting inside it, it was all very surreal.
Acceleration was similar to that of a sportscar, and we were giddy. The biggest thing about that test was that the world saw two people going up the Hyperloop, and two people descending.
Until that moment, everyone wondered, “Can it be safe for people?” Now we know it is.
Q: How will it speed up travel between cities?
A: It replaces the math. See how long it takes you now to cross Manhattan. Maybe 40 minutes. You can get from NYC to Washington, DC, in less time. You can go from LA to Las Vegas in 40 minutes.
What we are doing is similar to Roman roads, and Spanish ships and airplanes – reducing the time associated with distance.
Q: What is the time limit to start and run it?
A: It’s not 10 or 20 years away. Cities can start including it in their plans from now on.
I couldn’t lay my finger on who would be first, but apart from the US, we are also looking at places like India, Europe and the Middle East. We are probably looking at a time frame of 2025-27.
Q: Since you are a Virgin company, what is your conversation with sir? Richard Branson Like it?
A: He is an absolute dreamer who believes in what we are trying to do. What I love about Richard is that he not only started his own business, but he is an adventurer.
We are not only building a new type of transportation system, but we are trying to attract travelers to something new – and that is what they have done. Virgin Atlantic To Virgin Cruises To Virgin Galactic. He knows how to build customer acceptance and loyalty.
Q: If this technology takes hold, will it change the way people live and work?
A: One hundred percent. I have a two year old son, and the way he will live is unlike anything we can imagine.
If you look at the cities of the future, people might want to live in one area and work in another. We are already seeing this with the pandemic. My dream is to live near Yosemite and then work with my team in LA. A hyperloop would give you the ability to do both.
Q: What do you want to tell people about this technology?
A: Big ideas don’t have to take long. You can go from garage to chandelier idea in a couple of years.
The decade could be over with hundreds of millions of people riding the Hyperloop. For those who think this technology is many years away, I rode one. It is now.
Not only did this never happen, but we’re still piling on weird old subways and buses.
josh giggle Wants to start from scratch. Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Virgin Hyperloop We hope to peek between cities in minutes, a future not as far away as you might imagine.
Giggle sat down with Reuters to talk about how this emerging technology could change the way we live and work.
Q: Humanity is facing all kinds of transportation challenges, so why do you think the Hyperloop is the right solution?
A: We are looking at moving a large amount of people at the speed of a plane, giving them the opportunity to live where they want to live and work where they want to work. A Hyperloop would move as many people and goods as a 30-lane highway.
Q: How does Hyperloop work?
A: We carry you inside a tube, which brings you a lot of advantages. It’s impervious to the weather, and you avoid a lot of things that lead to accidents, like crossings.
Inside the tube we expel almost all the air, allowing you to go at high speed with very little energy consumption. We use magnetic levitation technology, so there’s no grinding, and everything is contactless and smooth. With electromagnetic propulsion, and 20-30 passengers per pod, we can move thousands of passengers per hour.
Q: You actually rode one at your Nevada testing facility, so what was it like?
A: From starting it in a garage seven years ago, to drawing it on a whiteboard, to sitting inside it, it was all very surreal.
Acceleration was similar to that of a sportscar, and we were giddy. The biggest thing about that test was that the world saw two people going up the Hyperloop, and two people descending.
Until that moment, everyone wondered, “Can it be safe for people?” Now we know it is.
Q: How will it speed up travel between cities?
A: It replaces the math. See how long it takes you now to cross Manhattan. Maybe 40 minutes. You can get from NYC to Washington, DC, in less time. You can go from LA to Las Vegas in 40 minutes.
What we are doing is similar to Roman roads, and Spanish ships and airplanes – reducing the time associated with distance.
Q: What is the time limit to start and run it?
A: It’s not 10 or 20 years away. Cities can start including it in their plans from now on.
I couldn’t lay my finger on who would be first, but apart from the US, we are also looking at places like India, Europe and the Middle East. We are probably looking at a time frame of 2025-27.
Q: Since you are a Virgin company, what is your conversation with sir? Richard Branson Like it?
A: He is an absolute dreamer who believes in what we are trying to do. What I love about Richard is that he not only started his own business, but he is an adventurer.
We are not only building a new type of transportation system, but we are trying to attract travelers to something new – and that is what they have done. Virgin Atlantic To Virgin Cruises To Virgin Galactic. He knows how to build customer acceptance and loyalty.
Q: If this technology takes hold, will it change the way people live and work?
A: One hundred percent. I have a two year old son, and the way he will live is unlike anything we can imagine.
If you look at the cities of the future, people might want to live in one area and work in another. We are already seeing this with the pandemic. My dream is to live near Yosemite and then work with my team in LA. A hyperloop would give you the ability to do both.
Q: What do you want to tell people about this technology?
A: Big ideas don’t have to take long. You can go from garage to chandelier idea in a couple of years.
The decade could be over with hundreds of millions of people riding the Hyperloop. For those who think this technology is many years away, I rode one. It is now.
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