Virgin Hyperloop has released a video showing what the experience of being shot inside a pod down a vacuum tube at high speed could one day look and feel like. The concept video goes through each step in the travel process, from check-in to disembarking.
The experience seems reminiscent of going to an airport to catch a plane, according to an article in Futurism. The interior of the shuttle, however, feels more inspired by rail travel with wide open cabins and face-to-face seating.
The biggest difference is that there are no windows, except for a skylight above. To make it feel less “claustrophobic,” the design team is focusing on bringing the outside in.
“Bands of greenery and wood textures subvert the aesthetic of typical mass transit materials with something optimistic and fresh,” John Barratt, CEO and president of the company Teague, who designed the pod interiors, said in a statement.
Although the Hyperloop won’t begin commercial operations until at least 2030, according to Virgin, it has made some headway already. A first passenger test of the system back in November managed to accelerate two Virgin Hyperloop execs to a speed of 107 mph in just 6.25 seconds.
In the future, Virgin Hyperloop is hoping to transport thousands of passengers an hour inside large convoys of 28-passenger-capacity pods. The pods will be within milliseconds of each other during travel, according to the company.
