Elon Musk said he'll try to break the Hyperloop speed record 'soon'

On Sunday,
The test's objective is to accelerate the pod to around 383 mph and bring it to a stop within around 3/4 of a mile.
If the test succeeds, Musk would break the record set by

Between building electric cars and sending rockets into space, Elon Musk has plenty to keep him busy. But the tech mogul also wants to reinvent public transportation with the Loop and Hyperloop high-speed transit systems.

On Saturday, he said on Twitter that he plans to test a Tesla and SpaceX-branded Hyperloop pod at half the speed of sound "soon." The test's objective is to accelerate the pod to around 383 mph and bring it to a stop within around 3/4 of a mile.

But Musk isn't the only one working to develop Hyperloop systems. His most prominent competition is Virgin Hyperloop One, which unveiled a working prototype of a passenger pod, called the Vision 2030 Hyperloop Pod, last week. The company was hosting Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia's crown prince and minister of defense, at its test site in the Mojave Desert.

The demonstration was part of a proposal to build a Hyperloop system in Saudi Arabia. Virgin Hyperloop One co-founder and CTO Josh Giegel said such a system would shorten "commute times from hours into minutes," in a press release, which claimed its Hyperloop system would be two to three times faster than traditional high-speed rail, and in some cases, accomplish some trips nearly ten times faster than is currently possible through public transportation.

The company said a trip from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, to Jeddah, which can last over 10 hours via public transportation, would take 76 minutes with a Hyperloop. And an 8.5-hour trip from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi could be shortened to 48 minutes.

The company hopes to have three Hyperloops running by 2021

Virgin Hyperloop One was founded as Hyperloop Technologies, Inc., in 2014 and conducted its first full-scale test in May. Richard Branson's Virgin Group announced an investment in the company in October, at which point the company changed its name to Virgin Hyperloop One. In December, the company set a test speed record of 240 mph at its test site in Nevada.

The company's early ideas for Hyperloop routes have largely been focused in Asia. Dubai has been discussed as the potential site for one of its first routes, and in 2016, the company began a feasibility study centered on a route between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In recent months, the company has also discussed proposals for Hyperloop systems in India and Missouri.

While momentum continues to build around Hyperloop technology, it's unlikely we'll see an operational Hyperloop system in the next few years.

Elon Musk said he'll try to break the Hyperloop speed record 'soon'

The company hopes to have three Hyperloops running by 2021

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