Hyperloop will move you at 700mph for a price you can afford

Hyperloop sounds too good to be true. A superfast personal transportation network which moves you hundreds of miles in a matter of minutes. And it'll pick you up and drop you off at your door.

It's a service that seems up there with first class plane travel, but speaking at Web Summit 2016 co-founder of Hyperloop One, Josh Giegel revealed quite the opposite when TechRadar posed the question of fares.

"We want to make Hyperloop affordable to all. 'Joe Everyman' will be able to travel on it."

Giegel went on to explain that he hopes to partner with firms such as Uber, and claims software updates to certain autonomous vehicles could make them Hyperloop enabled.

These autonomous vehicles will pick you up, take you to the Hyperloop station and drive directly onto a Hyperloop craft - which then fires you along at 1,100kph (680mph). 

In next to no time you'll be at the other end of the steel tube and the vehicle will drive off and take you to your final destination.

When and where?

A Hyperloop track will be built between Abu Dhabi and Dubai with the capability to move you between the two cities in just 12 minutes. If you were to drive the same 124km (77 miles) route it would take you around two hours. 

Hyperloop One made the announcement earlier with week with a YouTube teaser of the technology - but it won't necessarily be the first in the world.

Giegel wouldn't be drawn on when the Middle East loop would be ready to roll, although he did reveal Hyperloop One is working to a 2020 time scale for the first proof of operations facility.

This 15-20km track could be in Dubai, but both Finland and the Netherlands have also expressed interest in the technology. The firm also has a short test track in the Nevada desert in the US which gives it a fourth option to choose from.

The US based test track will be ready to demonstrate the technology with people on board by the end of Q1 2017, so if you're desperate to check it out you may want to book tickets to Las Vegas.

For those wondering whether your body is going to take a pummeling, there were some words of comfort from Shervin Pishevar, co-founder of Hyperloop One. 

“Hyperloop is grandma friendly, dog friendly and vomit free. It’s also impervious to weather as you travel in a steel tube, which means no delays or cancellations due to adverse conditions."

You can watch Hyperloop One's video teaser below

John McCann
Former Global Managing Editor

TechRadar's former Global Managing Editor, John has been a technology journalist for more than a decade, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He’s interviewed CEOs from some of the world’s biggest tech firms, visited their HQs, and appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC, and BBC Radio 4.

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