[ti:First Passengers Get to Ride 'Hyperloop' Transporter]
[al:Science & Technology]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2020-11-14]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]The American company Virgin Hyperloop says the high-speed transportation system it is developing has passed its first test with passengers.
[00:14.97]The company said the successful test was carried out on November 8 at its 500-meter DevLoop test area in Las Vegas, Nevada.
[00:30.86]The Hyperloop system is based on a technology called magnetic levitation.
[00:39.28]It uses magnetic fields to create a floating effect for a transportation vehicle and push it forward.
[00:49.50]Some high-speed trains also use this technology.
[00:55.83]But unlike trains, Hyperloop is designed to operate within pressurized tubes.
[01:04.04]It uses electric propulsion to move vehicles, called pods, through the tubes at high speeds.
[01:14.57]The recent test involved two members of Virgin Hyperloop's leadership team. 
[01:22.16]The pod carrying them reached speeds of up to 172 kilometers an hour, the company said.
[01:32.76]Sara Luchian, the company's Director of Passenger Experience, was one of the passengers.
[01:41.77]Luchian told the BBC she felt the trip was "exhilarating - both psychologically and physically."
[01:51.76]Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem is the chairman of Virgin Hyperloop.
[01:59.61]"I had the true pleasure of seeing history made before my very eyes," he said in a statement, after watching the test. 
[02:10.45]Bin Sulayem added that he felt he had witnessed "the first new mode of mass transportation in over 100 years come to life."
[02:23.10]Hyperloop says it has already run over 400 tests without passengers at its Nevada site.
[02:33.11]But the company said the latest test shows that it had successfully developed the technology into a safe transportation system.
[02:44.32]Jay Walder is the CEO of Virgin Hyperloop.
[02:49.69]"I can't tell you how often I get asked 'is Hyperloop safe?,'" he said. 
[02:56.98]"With today's passenger testing, we have successfully answered this question."
[03:03.76]A two-person car was specially developed for the test.
[03:09.23]Virgin Hyperloop says the actual production vehicle, when completed, will carry up to 28 passengers.
[03:19.52]Los Angeles-based Hyperloop envisions a future in which its floating pods would carry passengers and cargo at speeds of up to 966 kilometers an hour.
[03:35.24]The system offers near silent travel and will release no carbon emissions. 
[03:42.91]The company says the pods could complete a trip between New York and Washington, D.C. in just 30 minutes. 
[03:53.34]That would be twice as fast as a jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train.
[04:01.33]The test comes a month after it was reported that Virgin Hyperloop plans to build a $500 million certification and testing center in West Virginia.
[04:16.99]The company has said it is working to get a safety certification by the year 2025 and aims to launch transportation services by 2030.
[04:30.71]Virgin Hyperloop has raised more than $400 million, largely from Virgin Group chief Richard Branson and the port operations company DP World, which is owned by the Dubai government.
[04:48.23]Virgin is one of several companies working to develop the technology.
[04:55.55]I'm Bryan Lynn.