The hyperloop — a near vacuum tube where pods would travel inside via magnetic levitation at hundreds of miles per hour — could make the trip between Pueblo and Denver just 10 minutes or between Denver and Dallas in about an hour.
“The unique selling point of the hyperloop system is the energy efficiency at high speeds,” Denis Tudor, CEO & Co-founder of Swisspod Technologies told me on the Driving You Crazy podcast. “It is a mode of transportation that is faster than a plane and as convenient as a train and we need this because we don’t have an alternative to real high-speed transportation.”
Recently, the company Swisspod Technologies showed off the hyperloop test track to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on the grounds of the former Pueblo Army Depot in southeastern Colorado. The company said, when the Pueblo test track is complete, it will be one mile long and the longest hyperloop test track in the world. The tube, when energized, will also be the second largest vacuum chamber in the country.
Some experts believe the hyperloop will be better suited to move freight rather than human cargo, considering the shortage of truckers and the risk to passengers. But Tudor told me, he believes we could see people riding in a hyperloop tube in 3 to 5 years.
“I’m a big believer in passenger transportation,” Tudor told me. “I think hyperloop will be the safest mode of transportation because you are in the tube. Yes, it makes the experience weird for some people, however, you are going to be shielded and won’t interact with the outside world so that will make it much safer.”
Tudor said, the hyperloop system will be constructed above and below ground and will save money by putting all of the electronics, magnets and power controls in the pod rather than outside the tube. Swisspod also plans on making the pods driverless, running on an artificial intelligence algorithm auto-pilot system.
We covered much more about how the hyperloop system will work and how the construction is progressing during our conversation. You can listen to the full interview with Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber and Swisspod’s Denis Tudor on the Driving You Crazy podcast available on any podcast app including iTunes, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Podbean, and YouTube.
