The Hyperloop project began in 2013 when Elon Musk inspired the idea from a science fiction movie and wrote a technical paper explaining this concept of Hyperloop, which relies on building vacuum tubes in which capsules travel at high speeds similar to the speed of airplanes.

The idea of Hyperloop gained acclaim and enthusiasm in the scientific and investment community, and thus the company “Hyperloop One” was founded in 2014 and built a prototype of this idea that later demonstrated the difficulties facing this technology.

The idea of vacuum tubes came to reduce the resistance caused by the air to the movement of the capsule, but the capsule needs a resistance rail in order to move on it, so they use a magnetic field that pushes the capsule over the rail, reducing the resistance and keeping it on the path. Despite all these improvements, it was unable to reach high speeds.

Why did Hyperloop One close its doors?

It is clear that the first reason is a technical reason, as the company was unable to achieve its goals of reaching high speeds approaching the speed of airplanes for a small capsule and a straight tubular path. It was clear after about 9 years that hopes of reaching the goal had become slim.

This became a factor discouraging the continuation of the project. The company has lost the ability to attract new investments and certainly needs more money to deepen its research and develop new technologies, which has made its continuity complicated.

The company received support from Dubai Ports (DP World) in 2016, which owns the majority stake in the company and was planning to build the first routes between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Is the hyperloop dream over?

Most likely, it has reached a dead end, although Hyperloop One is not the only company working to make this technology see the light, as there are several other companies in different countries.

Hyperloop closing its doors will have a negative impact on these companies, but perhaps optimists believe that it is possible to do more than “Hyperloop One”, although there are still no indications of this. Also, the idea of hyperloop no longer receives the same attention that it received when it appeared. Attention today is focused on self-driving electric aircrafts that could revolutionize the world of transportation. They can travel at high speeds and do not require airports like large aircraft or expensive and complex infrastructure like hyperloop.