The Spanish centre will be the company’s first expansion into Europe, the facility is planned to open in 2020.
Since Hyperloop One and Virgin Group develop strategic partnership in October of last year. Sir Richard Branson has laid out plans for a “hyperloop” network across Britain, carrying passengers at nearly 700mph. The system proposed by the Virgin founder involves pods travelling over an electro-magnetic track enclosed in a low-resistance tube with very low air pressure.
Hyperloop technology is based on the idea of using an electric motor to accelerate an electromagnetically levitated pod through a low-pressure tube, which could theoretically reach speeds of up to 670mph with no turbulence. The fastest recorded speed using Hyperloop so far is 220mph.
Virgin Hyperloop One is intended to have a top speed of 670mph, with some other developers promising even higher speeds. His firm has already built a 500-metre test track in Nevada, and is working on a hyperloop connecting Mumbai and Pune in India.
Virgin Hyperloop One wants to launch a commercial hyperloop in 2021, and it's busy in the Nevada desert trying to make it happen. Image: Alexander Esseveld/Virgin Hyperloop One
The new testing centre will be located in the Andalusian region of Spain at Bobadilla, a village of the municipality of Antequera, in the province of Malaga. With over 9,000 companies in transport and logistics, the second largest aerospace cluster in Spain, and 20,000 employees in R&D, the new centre in Andalusia complements the advanced transportation, aerospace, and high-tech innovation in the region and will be a catalyst for further economic growth. The new centre is expected to hire up to 300 high-tech skilled professionals and spur job creation in a broad ecosystem of partners and suppliers in the region.
“With its robust transportation, aerospace and high-tech sectors in turn paired with outstanding region talent, Spain is an ideal fit for Virgin Hyperloop One’s Advanced Technology Development and Testing Center,” Rob Lloyd, Virgin Hyperloop One CEO, said. “By investing in the development and testing of Virgin Hyperloop One, Spain is extending its long-tradition as an innovative, global transport leader. We are excited to partner with such a forward-thinking country in developing the next generation of transportation.”
How Virgin Hyperloop One's System Becomes Reality ~Video Credit: Virgin Hyperloop One
“For hyperloop to be commercially viable it needs to be safe and reliable - safety is our number-one priority,” said Josh Giegel, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Virgin Hyperloop One. “We’ve already been testing and improving our technology for the last four years, including building the only full-scale hyperloop system in the world. Ultimately, the centre will help us deliver upon our first projects and scale to meet future demand around the world.”
Comments