All aboard the hyperloop: How your commute could be changing

All aboard the hyperloop: How your commute could be changing
Josh Giegel, co-founder and CEO of Virgin Hyperloop, walks next to a hyperloop tube at the company's hyperloop facility near Las Vegas, Nevada, May 5, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters

NEW YORK, July 19 - Think about the future of transportation, and you might envision the old animated show The Jetsons, with everyone flying around in personal spaceships.

Not only did that never happen, but we are still piling into creaky old subways and buses.

Josh Giegel wants to start from scratch. The chief executive and co-founder of Virgin Hyperloop foresees us zipping between cities in minutes, a future not as far off as you may think.

Josh Giegel, co-founder and CEO of Virgin Hyperloop, poses inside a hyperloop tube at the company's hyperloop facility near Las Vegas, Nevada, May 5, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters

Giegel sat down with Reuters to talk about how this budding technology could change the way we live and work.

Q: Humanity is facing all sorts of transportation challenges, so why do you think hyperloop is the right solution?

A: We're looking at moving massive amounts of people, at the speed of an aircraft, 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 the hyperloop work?

A: We take you inside a tube, which gives you lots of advantages. It's impervious to weather, and you avoid lots of things that cause accidents, like crossings

Josh Giegel, co-founder and CEO of Virgin Hyperloop, stands next to a hyperloop tube at the company's hyperloop facility near Las Vegas, Nevada, May 5, 2021. 
PHOTO: Reuters

Inside the tube we take almost all the air out, allowing you to go at high speeds with very little energy consumption. We use magnetic levitation technology, so there is no grinding, and everything is contactless and smooth.

With electromagnetic propulsion, and 20-30 passengers per pod, we could move tens of thousands of passengers per hour.

Q: You actually rode in one at your Nevada test facility, so what was it like?

Josh Giegel, co-founder and CEO of Virgin Hyperloop, looks on inside a prototype pod at the company's hyperloop facility near Las Vegas, Nevada, May 5, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters

A: From starting this in a garage seven years ago, to drawing it up on a whiteboard, to sitting inside it, it was all very surreal.

Read Also
digicult
Virgin Hyperloop hosts first human ride on new transport system

The acceleration was similar to a sports car, and we were giddy.

The biggest piece of that test was that the world saw two people get on a hyperloop, and saw two people get off.

Until that moment, everyone wondered "Could it be safe for people?" Now we know that it is.

Q: How will this speed up travel between cities?

A: It transforms the math. Look at how long it takes you right now to get across Manhattan. Maybe 40 minutes. You could go from NYC to Washington, DC, in less time. You could go from LA to Las Vegas in 40 minutes.

What we're doing is similar to what Roman roads, and Spanish ships, and airplanes did – shrinking the time associated with distance.

Q: What is the timeline to have it up and running?

A: This is not 10 or 20 years away. Cities can start incorporating this into their planning right now.

I couldn't put my finger on who will be the very first, but in addition to America, we are also looking at places like India, Europe and the Middle East. We are probably looking at a timeframe of 2025-27.

Q: Since you are a Virgin company, what has your interaction with Sir Richard Branson been like?

A: He is a consummate dreamer who believes in what we are trying to do. What I enjoy about Richard is that he not only started his own business from nothing, but he's an adventurer.

We are not only building a new type of transportation system, but we are trying to attract passengers to something new – and that's what he has done, from Virgin Atlantic to Virgin Cruises to Virgin Galactic. He knows how to build customer acceptance and loyalty.

Q: If this tech catches on, will it change how people live and work?

Read Also
singapore
Singapore start-up unveils one-seater flying vehicle, targets US market

A: One hundred per cent. I have a two-year-old son, and the way he will be able to 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 other areas.

We're already seeing that with the pandemic. My dream is to live near Yosemite and then work with my team in LA. A hyperloop would give you the potential to do both.

Q: What do you want people to know about this technology?

A: Big ideas don't have to take long periods of time. You can go from a garage to a moonshot idea in a couple of years.

This decade could end with hundreds of millions of people riding hyperloop. For people who think this technology is many years away, I rode on one. It's right now.

homepage

trending

trending
    Ex-minister Iswaran's case: Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice, seeks judicial mercy
    No plans to 'fully liberalise' cross-border ride-hail services: LTA
    Bro-code before go-mode: Meet the duo leading NDP 2025
    Tanjong Katong sinkhole: Both directions of road open, bus services 36 and 48 resume
    'On the verge of losing $10k': Vendors voice concerns about poor business at Bayfront SG60 food fair
    Parents reject $30k settlement from kindergarten in JB after son suffocates to death in school van
    2 Singaporeans arrested for leaving Malaysia illegally via land checkpoints
    27-year-old who helps run family's hawker business opens own restaurant: 'I should maximise what I can do at this age'
    'Whenever I jump out, it's like jumping back home': Veteran Red Lion to land in Bishan instead of the Padang for NDP 2025
    Singapore bus operators, LTA reviewing Malaysia's request to start services from JB one hour earlier
    Eggplants used in National Gallery exhibit stolen despite clear signs erected that warn against touching
    'We loved without regret': Sora Ma remembers late husband following son's first birthday celebration

Singapore

Singapore
    • Man allegedly spotted vaping on bus wearing military uniform was held in SAF custody
    • 'It was so gross': Man left disgusted after finding maggots in meal at Hougang restaurant
    • Tanjong Katong Road South repair works completed, to reopen in phases from Aug 2: LTA, PUB
    • 28 arrested, luxury cars seized during anti-vice raids
    • Over $136k in fines: Nearly 1,500 Singapore drivers caught under Malaysia's VEP scheme since July 1
    • Concealed in waistbands, pockets and more: Young partygoers continue to vape in clubs in Singapore
    • Teen seen falling over in MRT train found with vape and pod, assisting HSA with investigations
    • Sheng Siong to open first store in Orchard by end of August
    • New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3
    • Australian man, 82, arrested for alleged March thefts at Changi Airport upon return to Singapore  

Entertainment

Entertainment
    • E-Junkies: J-pop group Psychic Fever talk global goals and new EP
    • Edwin Goh and Rachel Wan's wedding to be next year: 'There's still a lot of things we need to figure out'
    • Gossip mill: Seventeen's Mingyu in Singapore for event, Babymonster's Chiquita receives hate presumably over Thai nationality, Jeon Somi recounts long chat with ghost
    • 'I'm happy taking the audience seat': Andrew Seow, now auxiliary police officer, reflects on past acting career
    • K-drama regular Song Young-kyu found dead following drink-driving incident
    • 'I quit': Zhao Lusi voices out alleged ill-treatment by management agency
    • Dilraba's new drama on missing kids under fire for using childhood photo of BTS' Suga
    • Jessie J readmitted to hospital with fluid in lungs
    • Oasis 'shocked and saddened' after fan dies at their concert
    • Mark Ruffalo to join Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
    • I try 11 new Michelin Bib Gourmand 2025 eateries to see if they're worth the hype, here's my honest take
    • Bak kut teh ramen, laksa shakshuka and chilli crab burgers: Celebrate National Day with these exclusive SG60 meals
    • Japanese restaurant Umi Nami to shutter, in yet another F&B business closure at Holland Village
    • Uniqlo launching T-shirt collection in collab with Pokemon Trading Card Game
    • 'We wanted to try somewhere with footfall': Ben Yeo opens new fish soup stall at Orchard Towers
    • Travelling to New Zealand soon? It's likely you'll have to pay more at popular tourist sites
    • This avid runner takes the lead in SAFVC's first full contingent at NDP 2025
    • ZipZap car subscription service launches in Singapore
    • National Day promotions 2025: NDP eCoupons, $0.60 deals, $60 off and more
    • We found freehold landed homes from $4m in the east, but would you live here?

Digicult

Digicult
    • Slim, sleek, but slightly too short-lived: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review
    • World's best Dota 2 teams to compete for $1m prize pool in Singapore in November
    • Sony RX1R III brings back the compact full-frame but not the Sony playbook
    • China's Premier Li proposes global AI co-operation organisation
    • 'They don't gaslight you': Why some Singaporean women like to spend on these virtual men
    • Elon Musk's Starlink network suffers rare global outage
    • Spy cockroaches and AI robots: Germany plots the future of warfare
    • 'Give a positive review': Hidden AI prompt found in academic paper by NUS researchers
    • 'Report 1 shop, another 10 appear': Hoyo Fest artists on copyright struggles
    • NTU penalises 3 students over use of AI tools; they dispute university's findings

Money

Money
    • Up 4.3%: Singapore's economy grew in Q2 despite US tariff fears
    • Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8
    • Singapore's most expensive neighbourhoods are changing - 4 buyer trends that prove it in 2025
    • Should you buy a used car in Singapore? Pros, pitfalls and price comparisons
    • Why I bought 7 properties in Johor Bahru, and will still buy more
    • Trump says US will set 15% tariff on South Korean imports under new deal
    • Cathay Cineplexes operator mm2 hires debt restructuring specialist as it faces more payment demands; CEO Chang Long Jong to retire
    • 6 best travel insurance plans in Singapore (July 2025)
    • How to claim travel insurance? A comprehensive beginner's guide (2025)
    • Britain and India sign free trade pact during Modi visit

Latest

Latest
  • Beijing on top alert for heavy rain, tells residents to avoid going out
  • Southern Taiwan lashed by torrential rain, 4 dead, more than 5,900 evacuated
  • 12-year-old attacked with hammer at JB housing block; man arrested
  • South Korea starts removing anti-North Korean loudspeakers on border
  • UK threatens jail for people smugglers who advertise on social media
  • Tens of thousands join pro-Palestinian march over Sydney Harbour Bridge
  • Russia cancels tsunami warning for Kamchatka after quake, dormant volcano erupts
  • Spanish police recover bodies of father, son after plane crash
  • Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes, opens permanent humanitarian corridors

In Case You Missed It

In Case You Missed It
  • Part-time PHV driver who stopped suicide attempt among 38 recipients of MHA’s public spiritedness award
  • Discrimination and bias less likely than violence and insults to be viewed as unacceptable conduct between races: AsiaOne poll
  • JB car wash operators say 'unfair' after business declines amid govt clampdown over prioritising Singapore-registered cars
  • 3-room and bigger Tampines, Toa Payoh BTO flats most popular with first-timers in July HDB launch
  • 'Count his lucky stars': Youth struck by taxi while dashing across Yio Chu Kang Road, netizens react
  • Tanjong Katong sinkhole: ItsRainingRaincoats raises $72,000 within 2 days for migrant workers who rescued woman
  • Tanjong Katong sinkhole: It should not have happened, says Grace Fu as panel convened to probe incident
  • Love scam: Man transfers $120k to online 'China girlfriend' of 2 years after sale of Ang Mo Kio flat
  • Mid-air brawl erupts on AirAsia X flight from KL to Chengdu over loud conversation
This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.