Hyperloop One's passenger pod almost hit 200 mph in its latest test
On Saturday, Hyperloop One completed its second successful test to-date on its 500-meter development track in Nevada, the company said. The startup said the system traveled 315 feet and reached a top speed of 192 mph. The vehicle coasted above the track using magnetic levitation.
Hyperloop One's first test in mid-July was much slower; it only reached 70 mph and traveled for 5.3 seconds.
The Hyperloop is a nascent transportation system that works by shooting pods through a vacuumed-sealed tube at speeds that experts say could reach 700 mph. The concept was popularized in 2013 when Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk released a "white paper" outlining how the system will work.
Hyperloop still has some ways to go to demonstrate a system that can connect cities.
The startup currently has feasibility studies under way in Dubai and Finland. Hyperloop One has also said it is in talks with regulators and city officials about building a Hyperloop in the US.
The futuristic transit system is also being pursued by Hyperloop One's ousted cofounder, Brogan BamBrogan.
Musk said in July his latest venture, The Boring Company, has received "verbal government approval" to build a Hyperloop between New York and Washington DC, but city officials were unfamiliar with the proposal.