Techno-fetishists around the world rejoiced in 2013 when Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk published a white paper on the idea of a super-fast form of transportation between Los Angeles and San Francisco dubbed the Hyperloop. Since then, test projects have been built and a California company called Hyperloop One is working to make Hyperloop real. We now know, via Tech Crunch, that the West Coast may not in fact be the location of the first to-scale Hyperloop. Instead, that honor may go to Dubai.
Hyperloop One announced today in a blog post that it's reached an agreement with the company that manages Dubai’s Port of Jebel Ali, DP World, to study the feasibility of bringing the system to the Middle East as a means to move large amounts of goods at incredibly fast speeds from the port inland.
"The two companies announced a deal to explore how Hyperloop technology could help move cargo quickly, safely and reliably from ships docked at Jebel Ali Port to a new container depot 29 kilometers inland," reads the announcement. "A dedicated Hyperloop tube with pods cycling through several times a minute can help DP World free up valuable space on the quay side and relieve Dubai’s roads of congestion. As an all-electric, emission-free technology, a Hyperloop cargo offloader would also eliminate a great deal of carbon emissions and other pollutants."
While proponents may have hoped a West Coast loop would be first on the list, they shouldn't be too disappointed — if all goes well, we can expect the idea to be replicated around the globe. "This is about testing in real terms how much it costs and how much we can save because if it works in Dubai, we will do it in Africa, India and across Asia,” said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem of DP World.
This announcement comes shortly on the heels of a July lawsuit against Hyperloop One which, according to BuzzFeed, contains allegations by Brogan BamBrogan (the co-founder of Hyperloop One) that company executives misused funds and worked to "augment their personal brands, enhance their romantic lives, and line their pockets (and those of family members).”
Regardless of the suit, Hyperloop One is moving right along with the Dubai project. “I believe in the Hyperloop," said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. "I believe it’s the future.”
Related: Elon Musk's Ultra-High-Speed 'Hyperloop' Is Getting Built As Test Concept This Year