Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is building a full-size hyperloop passenger capsule

By Clayton Moore Published March 28, 2017

There’s a new skirmish in the hyperloop race.

This week, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) announced that it’s starting construction on its passenger capsule at a research and development facility in Toulouse, France—a sign that the spunky startup is serious about this hyperloop business. HTT is working with Carbures S.A., a Spanish company that builds components and systems for use in aeronautics, defense, space and other complex technical industries.

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The HTT passenger capsule will seat between 28 and 40 people and is designed to travel at more than 700 miles per hour. The commercial capsule, so reminiscent of The Jetsons, will be about 100 feet long, with a 9-foot diameter and a weight of 20 tons.

“Our dream of creating the next breakthrough in transportation takes a big step forward today,” said Dirk Ahlborn, Co-founder & CEO of HTT. HTT already has partnerships emerging with Abu Dhabi, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic regarding potential hyperloop system installations.

Hyperloop One is eyeing the Middle East for its first commercial system, intended to connect Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Hyperloop One has long had the advantage over its competitors, having already demonstrated its technology on a test track in Las Vegas last year.

Simultaneously, Brogan BamBrogan, the remarkably named former Chief Technical Officer of Hyperloop One, has launched his own hyperloop startup, Arrivo, following a very public lawsuit against Hyperloop One. The former SpaceX engineer has decamped to Los Angeles to seek out public-private partnerships to fund two test sites in the United States.

It’s still up the air as to which firm is going to win the race to build a working hyperloop — but it’s a sure bet the story won’t be boring.

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Clayton Moore’s interest in technology is deeply rooted in the work of writers like Warren Ellis, Cory Doctorow and Neal…

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