Finally, Hyperloop Technologies will start construction on a test track. Early next year, Hyperloop will begin testing on a half-mile track at about 335 miles per hour.
The company announced on Tuesday that it finalized the location of its Propulsion Open Air Test (POAT) on 50 acres of the Apex Industrial Park in North Vegas, Nevada. In a press release, Hyperloop Technologies said hardware will begin arriving this month.
Hyperloop gets its name from the idea Elon Musk shared in 2013 for a high-speed self-powering train, but, aside from a design contest for the Hyperloop pods hosted by SpaceX, shares no official affiliation with Musk or any of his other companies.
A location for the Hyperloop’s Safety, Development and Test site is still undecided, but when complete, the full-scale, full-speed track will include two miles of tube that will move a pod at upward of 700 miles per hour.
When assembled, the sealed, ultra-low-pressure tubes will hold capsules suspended on a cushion of air by magnets. The solar-powered system is designed to be weatherproof and withstand earthquakes.
Full-scale test runs are set to begin in late 2016.
