Important milestone: Virgin Hyperloop completes its first test drive with people on board

Josh Giegel and Sara Luchian could have made transportation history. After around 400 unmanned test drives, Virgin Hyperloop has now dared to take the next step: On the company's own test track in Las Vegas, the two managers boarded a specially built transport capsule and completed the first ever manned Hyperloop drive. Special safety precautions were not necessary for this. The two test subjects neither wore designated protective clothing nor did they complete any special training. Of course, they were buckled up. The safety measures are therefore comparable to those on a roller coaster ride. This is

vital for the company. Because with the new technology it has to be possible to reconcile safety and travel comfort.

The first manned test drive provided important data

The experiences of the two test drivers were positive. They reported that the driving experience was comparable to that of a rapidly accelerating sports car. However, the transport capsule did not fluctuate at all. However, it must also be mentioned that the drive on the test track, which is only around 500 meters long, fell far short of the speeds planned for the future. The capsule only accelerated to 172 kilometers per hour. In the company's numerous presentations, however, an acceleration to more than 1,000 kilometers per hour is planned for the future. The manned test drive that has now been carried out should, however, have provided important information. These are now to be used to further advance the official approval.

Commercial routes are to be served in ten years

The current schedule is for certification to be completed by 2025. Five years later, the first commercial routes could start operating. For example, a route from New York to Washington would be conceivable. With a planned journey time of only around 30 minutes, the Hyperloop would then be twice as fast as an airplane and even four times as fast as a high-speed train. The concept behind it was publicly propagated by Elon Musk in 2012. Put simply, it's about creating a vacuum in a tube. As a result, the magnetically driven transport capsule meets only very little resistance and very high speeds can be achieved. At least this is true in theory. In fact, the companies are still a long way from the announced speeds, even with the unmanned test drives.