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Another state – this time North Carolina – was seduced by the idea of the hyperloop, the futuristic and always theoretical transit platform that will transport people and parcels at a speed of up to 670. miles to the hour between the cities.
Virgin Hyperloop One and Regional Transportation Alliance of North Carolina Friday announced the start of an "exploration" of the use of hyperloop to connect the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill state research triangle.
There is still much to be done before the hyperloop or this particular route explored by Virgin Hyperloop One becomes a reality. Theoretically, if it were built, it would take less than 10 minutes to travel between Raleigh and Durham or Chapel Hill, according to a pre-feasibility study by AECOM. This would be a key pillar for the region, home to some of the country's largest companies, universities and health care centers.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is now up to the challenge. But based on comments made during an event Friday, the state agency is not only interested in the research triangle; he also plans to expand the initial idea and investigate a line that would connect Charlotte and Washington D.C.
From now on, the process will be slow. While government agencies are studying the possibility of building a hyperloop, Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO) is working to certify the technology to transport humans. This certification process, which does not currently exist, will likely take years. VHO wants to be certified by 2023 and set up one of its hyperloop platforms by 2029.
This announcement follows some important milestones for Virgin Hyperloop One, including a recent demonstration in Washington DC and funding from NETT, or the Council for Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technologies, which will research and fund hyperlops at scale. national.
In May, VHO raised $ 172 million. The company also has a new CEO – Jay Walder, who was running the bike sharing operator Motivate. Walder took office at VHO in November.
Sir Richard Branson, who stepped down as President in October, was replaced by Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, President and CEO of UAE Transport and Logistics Corporation, DP World.
DP World is the main investor of the company. DP World invested for the first time in the company in 2016. The two companies launched a logistics joint venture in 2018 to develop hyper-loop transport for freight.
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