Elon Musk’s vision of the Hyperloop is one step closer to becoming a reality, as Hyperloop Test Technologies moves forward with plans to build a test track.

Elon Musk: The Hyperloop

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, first presented the idea of the Hyperloop, pods, or pneumatic tubes, created for high-speed transport, in 2013. In January of 2015, Musk tweeted plans to build a test track in Texas where he would allow companies to test possible Hyperloop technologies.

Hyperloop Test Track Deal In California

Hyperloop Test Technologies, a crowd-funded company inspired by Musk’s idea, announced plans to build a test track in California on Thursday. The company, which has no connection to Tesla or SpaceX and is not affiliated with Musk, has bought a five-mile stretch of land in Quay Valley for the purposes of building a track and testing Hyperloop technologies.

“This installation will allow us to demonstrate all systems on a full scale and immediately begin generating revenues for our shareholders through actual operations,” said Hyperloop Test Technologies and JumpStartFund CEO Dirk Ahlborn.

The Hyperloop Test Technologies track will reportedly be to scale with human transport, as opposed to the one Musk is building which is said to be scaled down to allow for easier testing. The trade off, according to reports, is that the five-mile track will not allow the Hyperloop to achieve optimum speeds, but Ahlborn said they are not specifically concerned with speed at this point. “It’s not about speed. There are a lot of other things that need to be optimized,” Ahlborn told The Verge.

“This is a big step. It’s time to take the Hyperloop from concept and design and build the first one,” Ahlborn told CNBC.

The test track is still a long ways away, however, as Hyperloop Test Technologies still has to raise $100 million to build the track, and it’s unclear how exactly they plan on raising the money. Construction is expected to start next year, and the projected completion won’t be until 2019.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.