Tesla's Hyperloop pod just set a speed record of 220 mph

source:Business Insider

  release:Nick

keywords: Tesla; Hyperloop

Time:2017-09-01

SpaceX recently held a Hyperloop competition for students across the globe, but the company has since used the occasion to puts its own system to the test.

Elon Musk at SpaceX's Hyperloop Pod II competition in Hawthorne, California. Reuters/Mike Blake

A Hyperloop is a nascent transportation system that pushes pods through a vacuum-sealed tube, and the goal is to transport people between cities at speeds of up to 700 mph. SpaceX first challenged students in 2015 to design and build a Hyperloop pod, and we got to see the results of their efforts on Sunday at SpaceX's competition.

SpaceX and Tesla designed a "pusher pod" to help some students get their pods going. A few days ago, SpaceX and Tesla decided to see how their pusher pod performed. It hit a top speed of 220 mph, the fastest recorded time to date.

WARR Hyperloop, the student-run team that won SpaceX's competition, hit 201 mph on the same track. The track is only 1.25 kilometers, so both pods could feasibly reach higher speeds with a longer runway.

Hyperloop One, a startup pursuing the system for commercial use, reached a top speed of 192 mph in August on its 500-meter test track in Nevada.

Musk has said he wants to build a commercial Hyperloop between New York City and Washington, DC, through his newest venture, the Boring Company.