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The Backstory
IN HISTORY
THE BACKSTORY
Sci-fi writers and dreamers have long envisioned ways to travel at high speeds through low-pressure tubes. Rocketry pioneer Robert Goddard in 1909 proposed a vacuum train very similar in concept to the Hyperloop. In 1972, the RAND Corp. conceived a supersonic underground railway called the Vactrain. The idea was waiting for the right combination of talent, technology, and business case to become a reality.

Seeding the Idea
JANUARY 2013
SEEDING THE IDEA
Traveling together on a humanitarian mission to Cuba, venture investor and entrepreneur Shervin Pishevar and Elon Musk get to talking about Musk’s idea for the Hyperloop, an update on the idea of moving vehicles at high speeds through low-pressure tubes. A few months later at a tech conference Shervin urges Musk to share his ideas with the public.

Hyperloop White Paper
AUGUST 2013
HYPERLOOP WHITE PAPER
Elon Musk publishes the Hyperloop Alpha white paper which incites overwhelming industry excitement. Shervin presents it to President Obama, whose science advisors say it’s feasible. Obama says, "Let me know how I can help you." Read the white paper here.

Advisory Team
APRIL 2014
ADVISORY TEAM
Shervin recruits political advisor Jim Messina and tech entrepreneurs Joe Lonsdale, David Sacks, and Peter Diamandis to join the board of his new Hyperloop startup.

Hyperloop Technologies
JUNE 01, 2014
HYPERLOOP TECHNOLOGIES
Hyperloop Technologies, Inc. is started in a garage in Los Angeles' Los Feliz neighborhood. The first elements of a Hyperloop system and initial business model are outlined on a whiteboard by co-founders Josh Giegel and Shervin Pishevar.

Los Angeles Innovation Campus
DECEMBER 2014
LOS ANGELES INNOVATION CAMPUS
Hyperloop Technologies establishes an Innovation Campus in LA's downtown arts district. The industrial space, surrounded by artists, graffiti, and gritty railroad tracks, serves as an ideal location to innovate, design, and test the components of the Hyperloop.

Series A Funding
FEBRUARY 2015
SERIES A FUNDING
Hyperloop One announces $8.5 million raised in Series A investment round.

CEO Rob Lloyd
JUNE 2015
CEO ROB LLOYD
Shervin recruits Rob Lloyd, former president of Cisco Systems, to join the company as CEO via a text message "come change the world with me." Lloyd starts as CEO in September. Funds raised now up to $11 million.

Big Tube
AUGUST 2015
BIG TUBE
The Big Tube is delivered to the LA campus and installed in the courtyard. The three-and-a-half ton carbon steel vessel was used to validate welds, openings, tube design, vacuum pass-throughs, and manufacturing automation. At 50 feet long and twelve feet wide, the Big Tube took up a sizable chunk of real estate in our original backyard.

Levitation Rig
SEPTEMBER 2015
LEVITATION RIG
The Lev Rig is another unique test stand designed and built by the Hyperloop One team. The test stand is housed in an 18 cubic meter environment chamber that is capable of achieving pressures down to 1/1000 of atmospheric pressure. The rotor achieves surface speeds of up to 300 meters per second. These speeds are necessary to simulate Hyperloop cutting edge levitation systems for use on our test vehicles.

Blade Runner
SEPTEMBER 2015
BLADE RUNNER
The Blade Runner is installed at the Los Angeles Innovation Campus, and is the only known test rig of its kind. It was designed, fabricated and built by the Hyperloop One team to test scaled axial compressor blades and aerodynamic structures in environments down to 1/1000 of atmospheric pressure. Powered by two 2,000 CFM vacuum pumps, the Blade Runner lets the Hyperloop One team conduct long-duration tests while adjusting flow variables in speeds ranging from subsonic through supersonic regimes.

APEX
DECEMBER 2015
APEX
The company establishes the Apex Test And Safety site in the desert outside of North Las Vegas, Nevada. Read more about it here.

Hyperloop One
MAY 11, 2016
HYPERLOOP ONE
The company changes its name to Hyperloop One to underscore its status as the first and only company building a full-system Hyperloop. Hyperloop One also announces $80 million raised in a Series B investment round. Read more about it here.


MAY 11, 2016
POAT
At a live Propulsion System Open Air (POAT) test, a Hyperloop sled accelerates to 136 mph in 2.2 seconds, braking into a sand bank and validating the design of the motor and power electronics system. On the same day, the company launches its Hyperloop One Global Challenge to cast the widest net to find the best Hyperloop projects in the world. Read more about it here.

FS Links
JULY 05, 2016
FS LINKS
Hyperloop One, FS Links, and KPMG publish first study of a Hyperloop system proposing a 28-minute link between Helsinki and Stockholm. Read more about it here.

Metalworks
JULY 27, 2016
METALWORKS
Metalworks opens in North Las Vegas, Nevada and becomes the first Hyperloop manufacturing plant in the world. The 105,000 square foot facility serves as a tooling and fabrication plant to create Hyperloop components. Read more about it here.

DP World
AUGUST 15, 2016
DP WORLD
DP World signs an agreement to study a Hyperloop route to improve Jebel Ali Port's efficiency, profitability, and sustainability. Read more about it here.

DevLoop Construction Begins
AUGUST 2016
DEVLOOP CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
The company breaks ground on Development Loop (DevLoop), the world's first full-scale Hyperloop test track in Apex, Nevada.

DevLoop First Tube Installed
NOVEMBER 2016
DEVLOOP FIRST TUBE INSTALLED
The first tube of DevLoop, known as the Fixity, is laid into place at the Hyperloop test track in Apex, Nevada.

RTA Dubai
NOVEMBER 12, 2016
RTA DUBAI
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) agrees to evaluate a Hyperloop One link between Dubai and Abu Dhabi that would reduce a 90+ minute journey to 12 minutes. Read more about it here.

Global Challenge Semifinalists
JANUARY 06, 2017
GLOBAL CHALLENGE SEMIFINALISTS
35 candidates from 17 countries are announced as semifinalists in the Hyperloop One Global Challenge, representing some of the most promising Hyperloop routes globally. Read more about it here.


FEBRUARY 28, 2017
VISION FOR INDIA
Indian leaders gather to learn about the Indian semi-finalist routes from the Hyperloop One Global Challenge. Minister of Railways, Suresh Prabhu, and CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, headline the event, which focuses on transforming India's transportation routes with Hyperloop. Read more about it here.


MARCH 07, 2017
DEVLOOP REVEALED
With DevLoop construction complete, the first images of the first full-scale Hyperloop test track are revealed at the Middle East Rail event in Dubai, UAE. Read more about it here.

Partner Program
MARCH 27, 2017
PARTNER PROGRAM
Hyperloop One launches a partner program to unite global transport leaders to change the way the world moves. Read more about it here.


APRIL 06, 2017
VISION FOR AMERICA
Eleven U.S semifinalists of the Hyperloop One Global Challenge showcase their routes at the Vision for America event. They highlight how Hyperloop could dramatically impact the U.S. economy by connecting 35 metro areas and 83 million Americans. Read more about it here.


MAY 12, 2017
SUCCESSFUL TEST
Hyperloop One becomes the first company in the world to test a full-scale Hyperloop. It tested the combined Hyperloop components including vacuum, propulsion, levitation, sled, control systems, tube, and structures. Read more about it here.


JUNE 06, 2017
VISION FOR EUROPE
At the Vision for Europe event, nine semifinalist teams from Europe present proposed Hyperloop routes. Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and the Environment, Melanie Schultz van Haegen states that "in the next ten years, we will see more changes in mobility than in the last 100 years." Read more about it here.

Vehicle Unveiled
JULY 12, 2017
VEHICLE UNVEILED
The first-generation Hyperloop One aeroshell is revealed. The shell is used at the DevLoop test site in Nevada to test aerodynamics and structural materials. Read more about it here.


JULY 29, 2017
STATE 2 TESTING
Hyperloop One achieved historic test speeds traveling nearly the full distance of the 500-meter DevLoop track in the Nevada desert. The Hyperloop One XP-1, the company’s first-generation pod, accelerated for 300 meters and glided above the track using magnetic levitation before braking and coming to a gradual stop. Read more about it here.

Global Challenge Finalists
SEPTEMBER 14, 2017
GLOBAL CHALLENGE FINALISTS
10 teams were chosen as winners in the Hyperloop One Global Challenge. These routes encompass the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, India, and Canada. As a direct outcome of the Global Challenge, Hyperloop One and the Colorado Department of Transportation, supported by AECOM, enter into a public-private partnership that will begin a feasibility study in Colorado. Explore the winning routes here.

Series B-1 Funding
SEPTEMBER 21, 2017
SERIES B-1 FUNDING
Hyperloop One announces $85 million raised in its Series B-1 investment round. This brings the total financing raised by Hyperloop One to $245 million since its founding in 2014. Read more about it here.

Virgin and Hyperloop One Partnership
OCTOBER 12, 2017
VIRGIN AND HYPERLOOP ONE PARTNERSHIP
Hyperloop One and Virgin Group develop strategic partnership. Richard Branson and his Virgin Group have invested in Hyperloop One. The combination of our technology and Virgin’s expertise in operations, safety, and passenger experience will accelerate our commercialization phase.

New Funding and Speed Record
DECEMBER 18, 2017
NEW FUNDING AND SPEED RECORD
Virgin Hyperloop One completed its third phase of testing, achieving test speeds of 387 kilometers per hour. An additional $50 million was raised ahead of its Series C round of funding, bringing the total financing raised to $295 million since its founding in 2014. Richard Branson was named Chairman. Read more about it here.

Missouri Feasibility Study
JANUARY 30, 2018
MISSOURI FEASIBILITY STUDY
Virgin Hyperloop One, Black & Veatch, and the University of Missouri System announced a partnership to complete an in-depth feasibility study of an ultra-high-speed hyperloop route along I-70 in Missouri. Read more about it here.

State of Maharashtra
FEBRUARY 18, 2018
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
Virgin Hyperloop One announced the Indian State of Maharashtra’s intent to build a hyperloop between Pune and Mumbai beginning with an operational demonstration track. The hyperloop route will link central Pune, Navi Mumbai International Airport, and Mumbai in 25-minutes. Read more about it here.

Ohio EIS Study
FEBRUARY 21, 2018
OHIO EIS STUDY
For the first time anywhere in the world, hyperloop will be studied alongside other transport methods in an Environmental Impact Study. In addition to the EIS, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission will also conduct a feasibility study of hyperloop technology for the corridor. Read more about it here.

Dubai Pod Unveil
FEBRUARY 22, 2018
DUBAI POD UNVEIL
In collaboration with the RTA, Virgin Hyperloop One unveiled their Dubai hyperloop pod during Innovation Week in the UAE. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, unveiled the pod to the public. Read more about it here.

Saudi Crown Prince Visit
APRIL 02, 2018
SAUDI CROWN PRINCE VISIT
Richard Branson and Josh Giegel unveiled the Vision 2030 Hyperloop Pod to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, HRH Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. This visit further cemented the commitment between the Kingdom and Virgin Hyperloop One to bring hyperloop technology to Saudi Arabia. Read more about it here.


APRIL 29, 2018
DP WORLD CARGOSPEED
Global trade enabler DP World and Virgin Hyperloop One introduced DP World Cargospeed, an international brand for hyperloop-enabled cargo systems to support the fast, sustainable, and efficient delivery of palletized cargo. Designed to provide exceptional service for high-priority, on-demand goods, DP World Cargospeed systems will deliver freight at the speed of flight and closer to the cost of trucking. Read more about it here.

Chief Minister Of Maharashtra
JUNE 15, 2018
CHIEF MINISTER OF MAHARASHTRA
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, and representatives from the State Government including the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), visited Virgin Hyperloop One at their full-scale hyperloop test site in the Nevada Desert – building upon the historic Framework Agreement signed in February to build the first hyperloop in India. Read more about it here.