In the runup to an open-air display of a key aspect of its Hyperloop technology, Hyperloop Technologies has announced a rebranding. Before an invited audience of guests and media in Las Vegas, the transportation startup declared that it will now be known as Hyperloop One. In addition, the company announced that it has secured US$80 million in Series B financing as well as partnerships with a number of technology and infrastructure companies.
According to the newly-christened company, the purpose of the new partnerships is to create a "worldwide Hyperloop ecosystem." This will serve to introduce the transportation technology, that uses partly evacuated tubes running levitated cars at near the speed of sound as a major competitor with existing systems.
The announcement came on the eve of today's Propulsion Open-Air Test at a the Hyperloop One test site in the Nevada desert north of Las Vegas, where the company hopes to have a full-scale prototype up and running for what it calls its "Kitty Hawk moment" by the end of the year. Kitty Hawk refers to the site of the Wright brothers' historic first manned heavier-than-air flight in 1903.
The new Hyperloop partners announced yesterday include:
- Los Angeles-based consultancy firm AECOM
- Swiss transportation, infrastructure, and tunnel-planning experts Amberg Group
- Design and engineering consultants ARUP
- New York-based architects Bjarke Ingels Group
- Deutsche Bahn Engineering and Consulting
- KPMG transportation strategy, procurement, and financing
- Systra engineering and consulting group based in Paris
In addition, Hyperloop One announced that it is taking part in a feasibility study to determine the benefits and impact of a Hyperloop system in Sweden and Finland with the help of FS Links Ab, and with Arcturan Sustainable Cargo of Los Angeles to determine how Hyperloop technology could speed up container port operations.
Along with these projects, Hyperloop One also announced its Hyperloop One Global Challenge, which is soliciting proposals from individuals, companies, and governments for using Hyperloop technology in their regions, with an entry deadline of September 15.
"The overwhelming response we've had already confirms what we've always known, that Hyperloop One is at the forefront of a movement to solve one of the planet's most pressing problems," says Hyperloop One cofounder and Executive Chairman Shervin Pishevar. "The brightest minds are coming together at the right time to eliminate the distances and borders that separate economies and cultures."
Source: Hyperloop One
