Alfred Beach first conceptualized Hyperloop technology in 1865, in the form of pneumatic subway. He showcased his prototype in American Institute Fair in 1867. The 100-foot- long plywood tube prototype had two fans at both the ends. The fans blew enough air to propel a ten-person car from on end of the tube to another.
Fast-forward to 2012, Elon Musk, the man behind Tesla Motors and Space X programme proposed a similar technology with some changes to the technological aspects of the idea. Musk’s idea proposes use of reduced pressure steel tubes for tracks and pressurized capsule shaped pods riding on a cushion of air driven by air compressors and linear induction motors. This would speed up the train to a blistering supersonic speed of 1,300km/h. This supersonic train would make the arduous cross-country train journeys a thing of the past.
Hyperloop One, ELON Musk's revolutionary programme is taking a different approach to make the Hyperloop become a reality. Space X is holding a competition, which encourages students and engineers to come up with different design and develop prototype pods to be tested at the Hyperloop test track in California. There are also quite a few startups working on different concepts and methods to make the project become a reality.
Hyperloop are trying to commercialize design created by a team of Tesla and Space X engineers. The design has air bearings to create air cushion. The capsule function like an air hockey puck does, with the exception that the puck is instead propelled by the air released from the it, rather than an external source of propulsion. The high speed at which the capsule pod travels through the tube generates the air needed for propulsion. The electric air compressor in the front pumps the air to the rear of the pod pushing it forward.
Hyperloop One conducted its first public test on a 1.9-mile-long test track in the Nevada Desert on 11 May 2016. The purpose of the test was to showcase that a lightweight aluminium sled travelling at a speed of 100mph in just 2 seconds. LA to Las Vegas is the first proposed route Hyperloop route under construction.