Hyperloop is Building a Test Facility in Vegas and Changing the Face of Auto Technology!
A super-sonic vacuum tube might not sound like the next big thing in transportation, but this futuristic system might become a reality sooner than you think.
Proposed by noted auto engineer and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Hyperloop is a pressurized tube system powered by magnetic attraction and solar power, able to reach speeds of up to 750mph (1207 km/h). A startup company called Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (or HTT) has just secured a Vegas test facility for its prototype, taking the company one step closer to its monumental goal.
If you’re interested in a career in automotive technology, check out this new and exciting development—and learn how it’s set to impact the automotive careers of 2016 and beyond.
‘Hyperloop’ Auto Technology: Elon Musk’s Vision, A New Startup’s Reality
Elon Musk first revealed his concept of the ‘Hyperloop’ in 2013. He envisioned a “mass, high-speed, evacuated transportation technology,” and called on students and entrepreneurs to try their hand at designing and producing viable versions of their own. Since then, companies have been racing to make the revolutionary system a reality.
The startup company Hyperloop Technologies (which takes its name from Musk’s proposed invention but has no direct connection to him) has answered Musk’s call to action with its own Hyperloop prototype now in development. The company has raised over $37 million from investors, and expects to begin testing at its new Vegas facility in late 2016.
Putting This Hi-Tech Automotive Technology Program Into Action
If you’re interested in enrolling in an automotive technology program, it’s likely that you want to know just what makes the Hyperloop run, if it’s not more traditional engines and motors.
Essentially, the Hyperloop is a conceptual high-speed transportation system running on linear induction motors and air compressors, which drive pressurized capsules to ride on air cushions at very high speeds—almost like airplanes in a subway system. HTT’s prototype can run above or underground, at speeds made possible by the elimination of what Musk calls “aerodynamic drag.”
“It’s very similar to an airplane on high altitudes,” explains Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. “You have a low-pressure environment inside the tube, a capsule that doesn’t touch anywhere, just hovers, and then because of the low pressure doesn’t encounter any resistance.”
Watch the HTT Hyperloop prototype in action here:
Imagining the Future of Auto Technology and Transportation
How might the Hyperloop change the auto technology industry?
Ahlborn says his project has the potential to “connect two major cities that are normally 6,7,8,9 hours apart within 15-30 minutes,” which he expects will fundamentally change the way we live.
“What the internet did in the realm of transportation,” Ahlborn explains, “Hyperloop will certainly do in the realm of transportation.”
In any case, the demand for skilled auto technology professionals will remain strong—especially for those with state-of-the-art auto technology training, who learn hands-on how to service and diagnose the latest auto-mechanic systems on the modern commercial market.
Do you believe Hyperloop is a feasible commercial transportation goal? How do you think it might impact the modern auto technology scene?
Have your say and take part in this fast-paced industry by pursuing automotive technology training of your own!
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