Elon Musk likes Teslas to have the fastest acceleration times of any vehicles in their respective classes. But he’ll have to keep trying if he wants the same to ring true for Hyperloop.
Virgin Hyperloop One, partially owned by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, recently set a new speed record of 240 mph at its DevLoop track outside Las Vegas, according to Wired. The run bested Musk’s previous record of 220 mph.
Achieving that extra 20 mph reportedly was possible thanks to two technical innovations, both of which were aimed at reducing friction inside the 1,600-foot tube.
First, Virgin Hyperloop One developed a new airlock system that creates a vacuum inside the tube, with pressures equivalent to what you’d experience 200,000 feet above sea level. In addition, the company’s 28-foot-long pod used magnetic levitation to eliminate any friction between the car and the track itself.
Hyperloop technology still has a ways to go, as Musk’s ultimate goal is for the pods to be able to travel at upward of 760 mph.
