Many of the great developments humanity enjoys today started with small steps, and if we look closely at the first public test of the Hyperloop system, we can definitely call it small... quite small. The company in charge, Hyperloop One, managed to accelerate a kind of “sled” from 0 to 180 kilometers per hour in less than two seconds, which in essence was all it lasted. It is expected that soon there will be a capsule race organized by SpaceX, but if the only thing they have to show is this, well...
Almost three years have passed since Elon Musk presented the Hyperloop concept, a revolutionary transportation system that promises a top speed of up to 1,200 kilometers per hour in the best case. Joining Los Angeles and San Francisco in thirty minutes is not a minor task (the average for a commercial airplane is 56 minutes “in the air”, if all goes well), especially when we put on the table (in addition to the logical technical barriers) all those details that often escape the specialized media, such as the real cost, permits, and contracts. But Hyperloop had its demonstration... more or less. One of the companies determined to follow Musk's idea, Hyperloop One, took a significant number of people to the Nevada desert to witness the first public test linked to this technology.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/1e-Po9C8Kj8The Public Test
Yes, that's all. The POAT, acronym for “Propulsion Open Air Test” showed us something like a sled accelerated to 180 kilometers per hour in two seconds. The engine works, the sled slides, and inside a sealed low-pressure tube, the theoretical 1,200 kilometers per hour “could” become reality. However, on the web they are convinced that Hyperloop One's public relations department did “too well” its job. Comparisons with “an anemic roller coaster” and “just another maglev” were inevitable. And the detail that it doesn't even have a formal brake (that's the job of the sand we see flying in the video) basically sealed the general feeling.
What's Next
In other words, Hyperloop took its first step, but the “excitement” that its officials had cultivated until now stayed partying in Las Vegas. Hyperloop One will have a complete prototype before the end of the year, which will allow starting low-pressure tests. This also implies building the track, and from what we see in the video, there are several tubes there. The competition organized by SpaceX still stands, although it doesn't have an exact date (the page only says “summer 2016”), therefore, I think the magic word “Patience” fits perfectly here.
