In the very near future, the fastest way to drive may be in a tube. On Monday, November 13, Colorado transportation officials in Denver announced a partnership with Arrivo to create a network of Hyperloop-esque high-speed tubes that will transport cars at up to 200 mph, USA Today reports.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will participate and projects Arrivo’s roadside tubes will mitigate driving congestion by dramatically reducing travel time. Colorado DOT estimates a 70-minute drive from downtown Denver to Denver International Airport will only be a nine-minute ride on Arrivo. The same is true for the usual hour-long drive from Boulder to Denver that would be reduced to just eight minutes.
Arrivo would install above-ground tubes next to existing highway right of ways where drivers can enter with their cars and be whisked away to their destination at super fast 200 mph speeds. The system uses magnetic levitation to float the vehicles at high speed, and electric power to propel them forward. This is similar to the system being tested by Arrivo’s rival company, Hyperloop One.
Even though Arrivo and Hyperloop One share similar technology, Arrivo wants to make it clear they are not the same. “We’re calling it the High Speed Super Urban Network, which isn’t as good as (the term) hyperloop. But we’re a pack of engineers,” Arrivo founder Brogan BamBrogan told The Denver Post. “Really, our focus is on ending traffic. That should be catchy enough for anybody, especially in Denver.”
Hyperloop One has also promised to cover hundreds of miles zipping cars from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Arrivo is focused on “regional and super-regional solutions,” according to BamBrogan. As far as the CDOT is concerned, that narrower focus makes Arrivo a better option than Hyperloop One. “It is futuristic. But just like Hyperloop One that has a test track in Nevada, they’re hitting their milestones with technology development. Arrivo believes in nearer to the future, not 30 years from now but the next few years,” CDOT executive director Shailen Bhatt told the Denver Post.
Arrivo plans to break ground on its test site near the 75-mile E-470 toll road in 2018. BamBrogan predicts Arrival’s first commercial system will be ready to use by 2021.
