Hyperloop One co-founder has just launched a rival startup
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(Arrivo)
There's another hyperloop team in town, and it's fair to say it knows a thing or two about the ultra-fast transportation technology.
How do we know that? Because it's headed up by one Brogan BamBrogan, a key figure in the fledgling industry who departed Hyperloop One under a cloud last year.
BamBrogan co-founded Hyperloop One -- or Hyperloop Technologies as it was called then -- in 2014 and worked as its chief technology officer. But last year he sued the company, accusing it of an array of underhand activities. The two sides have since settled the dispute, allowing BamBrogan to focus on more pressing matters, namely developing a super-zippy transportation system just like the one he was working on before.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The new outfit, launched on Thursday, is called Arrivo, and, in the company's own words, aims to develop "technology based on the hyperloop architecture that will deliver a truly 21st century seamless experience for passengers and freight."
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That's right, Arrivo is talking about a new kind of transportation system that could see people seated inside comfy capsules hurtling along vacuum tubes at speeds of up to 760 mph. That means a journey time of just 30 minutes between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Which beats crawling along in a car for six hours.
Speaking of Los Angeles, that's where Arrivo's base happens to be, and get this -- it's located less than a mile from Hyperloop One's own headquarters. That means the two teams could probably give each other a friendly wave if they look out of the window. No, we don't think that's going to happen either.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Arrivo's launch crew, which comprises a mix of engineers and executives, includes three of the guys who walked out of the Hyperloop One door alongside BamBrogan last summer, and three additional members, plus, of course, BamBrogan himself. It's aiming for a team of at least 80 by the end of the year, according to a release sent to Digital Trends.
The company is set to unveil details of its hyperloop project in the coming months, a presentation that'll be of great interest to not only Hyperloop One, but also Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, which, as its name helpfully suggests, is also working on similar technology. Having a new team on the playing field should certainly push all three to the limit in their respective bids to build the first fully operational hyperloop system.
But the challenges remain huge on a multitude of levels, causing many observers to wonder if the proposed technology will ever fulfill the grand vision of its creators. With Arrivo's arrival, there's one more chance that it will.