The company sees cargo as a more promising and cost-efficient use of its technology.
Virgin Hyperloop is pivoting from moving passengers to transporting cargo and has laid off close to half of its employees, reports James Vincent in The Verge. "A spokesperson for Virgin Hyperloop told the [Financial Times] that the recent cuts would allow the company 'to respond in a more agile and nimble way and in a more cost-efficient manner' and that the decision to lose so many staff at once had not been 'taken lightly.'"
The US-based Virgin Hyperloop is one of the leading firms developing the eponymous technology — an updated version of a centuries-old idea to reduce the energy demands of trains by placing them in vacuum-sealed tubes where air resistance is minimal. The concept was resurrected in 2013 when Elon Musk published a whitepaper on the subject, incorporating magnetic levitation used by bullet trains and bestowing the current branding.
Despite early successes in testing, Vincent notes that Virgin Hyperloop has struggled to attract enough funding and reach additional milestones. "Moving cargo instead of people will simplify safety and regulatory burdens, according to DP World — an Emirati, state-owned logistics group that has a 76 percent stake in Virgin Hyperloop."
FULL STORY: Virgin Hyperloop switches focus from passengers to cargo as it lays off half its staff
The Hyperloop’s Prospects Dim
The media is coming around to the idea that the hyperloop is not a near-term solution for the country’s transportation woes. It’s too little, too obvious, too late.
Hyperloop Gets its First Human Test Subjects
It has a long way to go to match the speed and capacity of high-speed rail technology, but at least the Hyperloop has achieved one critical benchmark: a test involving human passengers.
West Virginia Wins Bid for Location of Virgin Hyperloop Facility
Virgin Hyperloop's Hyperloop Certification Center (HCC) will be located on an 800-acre site straddling Tucker and Grant counties in West Virginia.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Colorado Bill Would Tie Transportation Funding to TOD
The proposed law would require cities to meet certain housing targets near transit or risk losing access to a key state highway fund.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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