LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — We’re here to witness a huge event for the Hyperloop, Elon Musk’s vision for the future of transportation.
Hyperloop One, the startup that just raised $80 million to build a real, functioning Hyperloop, will test its propulsion system Wednesday in a press demo.
The test isn't the full-scale Hyperloop, but a "sled" on an open-air track that serves as a demonstration of how the Hyperloop will be powered once it's built.
Ahead of the demo, Tech Insider spoke with Shervin Pishevar, the legendary Silicon Valley investor best known as an early investor in Uber back when everyone thought it was overhyped. We all know how that turned out.
Pishevar is the chairman of Hyperloop One, and he was the person who convinced Elon Musk to release his plans for the Hyperloop to the public back in 2013.
Here's a lightly edited transcript of our chat with Pishevar:
Cadie Thompson: How did you first decide to pursue the Hyperloop?
Shervin Pishevar: I first heard about it just through my friendship with Elon. And then when we went on the trip to Cuba together, I brought that up with Elon. Like what are you going to do with it? And that’s how the journey began.
Thompson: Does Musk advise you at all? Do you guys chat about it?
Pishevar: No, he said then that he was going to open source it and not be involved in any one company that starts out of it. So we asked permission to start a company and he said go ahead — he’s going to open source it anyway. We asked about cargo and if that was possible and he said if you scale the system it should work. So that is kind of the beginnings of it and then I started the company separately from him and recruited [Hyperloop One CTO] Brogan BamBrogan and the board and that is how it began.
Thompson: Where will the Hyperloop be in 10 years?
Pishevar: In 10 years there should be a network of Hyperloops around the world. That’s the vision. Hopefully within five years we’ll see the first ones actually working.
[This week] we are going to see the actual propulsion system. By the end of this year we should see the "Kittyhawk moment," which is the full scale Hyperloop, devloop, again here in Nevada.
Thompson: So the first full-scale test system, the two-mile track, will be built here in Nevada?
Pishevar: Yeah.
Thompson: Where would the first network Hyperloop be built?
Pishevar: We don’t know yet, but most likely it will be international, just from a regulatory, governmental perspective, it’s most likely going to be abroad.
Thompson: What has your relationship with government officials been like?
Pishevar: In the US and abroad there’s incredible positivity towards Hyperloop. People are excited about it and it’s really begun to capture people's imaginations. In many ways if you look at how governments reacted to broadband, they really did want broadband to come into their countries. The government officials saw the potential for that. And you saw the 3G licenses and the LTE licenses spread around the world, mobile spread around the world and transformed economies, so we hope Hyperloop really begins to do that and Hyperloop One begins to lead the way.
Thompson: Do you anticipate problems with lobbying groups?
Pishevar: We hope to be complimentary towards existing systems with partnerships. That’s why you see SNCF investing and partnering, GE Ventures investing and our partnership with them. That kind of partnership model, we should be able to find ways to augment and bring some of these companies, the Hyperloop solutions to implement.
What will be the biggest impact the Hyperloop will have if/when it gets up and running?
Hyperloop One wants to make the world one, want to make the world smaller. In many ways getting rid of that displacement of where you live and where you work. Really, at that point it doesn't matter where you live and work. You should be able to travel between cities much faster and more cheaply than is possible today.
Thompson: Can you walk me through what we are going to see during the propulsion test?
Pishevar: We are going to see the propulsion open-air test. That is going to show that our propulsion levitation system actually works. We should hit 350 miles per hour or so. And that should be faster than any high-speed rail in the world. And then, by the end of the year, we will have the full-scale system in a tube with a pod.
Thompson: What are the two ideal cities to connect via Hyperloop in your opinion?
Pishevar: That is like choosing your favorite children. At the end of the day, I live in Silicon Valley and LA, and for selfish reasons I’d love to have Los Angeles and San Francisco connected with the Hyperloop.
Thompson: Is there one technology that is making all of these transformations in transportation possible?
Pishevar: I think people are making it possible. The incredible talent that has assembled at Hyperloop One is what is making it possible. I don’t just think it’s a technology story, I think it’s a human story. It’s those hearts and that passion of everyone and the commitment that is distorting reality and making this possible as fast as it is.
