Playa Vista, California, USA

The new, full-size Hyperloop capsule designed to carry passengers at 1,000 kilometers per hour (620 mph) offers what could be the future of travel.

Dubbed “Quintero One,” the sleek design is the handiwork of the British design office of PriestmanGoode for the Californian tech startup, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT).

Billed as “an airplane without wings,” the aim of Hyperloop is to permanently disrupt how we travel long distances.

And, PriestmanGoode’s Hyperloop is the megafast, cutting-edge transport technology first envisaged by controversial business magnate Elon Musk.

It’s designed to transport people through low-pressure steel tubes at speeds to match a typical passenger aircraft. 

The Quintero One is made out of dual-layer smart composite material designed to be extra resilient weighing 5 tons.

At a length of 32 meters (105 feet), the capsule would form part of a longer train that could feasibly speed cross country in record time.

A journey from Los Angeles to Las Vegas could take just 20 minutes. 

Several companies are now competing to be the first to make the Hyperloop concept a reality. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a US start-up with no connections to Musk, hopes its new full-size prototype capsule puts it ahead in the game. 

The Spanish construction group Ferrovial has signed a framework contract with American transport company HyperloopTT to carry out route analysis, operation, maintenance, engineering and construction work.

The first sleek capsule was unveiled in 2018 at Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain, near where it was constructed at the aerospace facilities of Airtificial, a partner of HyperloopTT.

It was built at the Southern Spain aerospace facilities of HyperloopTT’s partner Airtificial, a new company formed by the merger of composite expert Carbures and engineering company Inypsa that manufactures for many leading companies including Airbus and Boeing.

Hyperloop systems use magnetic levitation to send pods through a vacuum tube, which in HyperloopTT’s design is raised on pylons, with some ground-level and underground segments.

The capsule for Quintero One is constructed almost completely out of HyperloopTT’s VibraniumTM, a specially made dual-layer smart composite material.

The capsule will be delivered to HyperloopTT’s research and development center in Toulouse, France for additional assembly and integration into the system, before it is used on one of the first commercial tracks.

Now in California, once the final touches are completed, the capsule will be tested on a Hyperloop test track

“Working together with engineers from HyperloopTT, we are proud to be pushing the envelope of smart materials in transportation and manufacturing,” said Airtificial Co-Founder and Chairman, Rafael Contreras.

“We have unveiled a new type of transportation vessel built with an industry high percentage of composite, which makes the Hyperloop capsule perhaps the safest transportation vehicle in the world.”

“The creation of this capsule represents over a year long journey of the best expertise in design, engineering, and the development of cutting edge materials,” said Dirk Ahlborn HyperloopTT co-founder and CEO.

“In just five years we have solved and improved upon all of the technology needed for Hyperloop with our new levitation system, vacuum pumps, batteries, and smart composites. This capsule will be a part of one of the most efficient transportation systems ever made.”

“The capsule is fully optimized and ready for passengers,” said Bibop Gresta, chairman and co-founder of HyperloopTT.

“Since we have taken major steps in solving government regulations with our safety certification guidelines and insurance frameworks, we are now closer than ever to bringing Hyperloop to the world.”

Several Hyperloop routes are currently in development in countries such as China, UAE, Spain and France.

Designers: PriestmanGoode
Manufacturers: Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) and Airtificial