GETTING ON TRACK
Here are the three teams that will be competing among 20 on the roster.
WARR Hyperloop team
Origin: Germany
WARR has won the first two competitions. In the first competition the prototype went about 58 mph and ran at a speed of 200 mph in the second.
The team is comprised of more than 40 students and their news release from June said they are hoping to reach speeds close to 370 mph.
The prototype is made of carbon fiber and propelled by electric motors that can generate 350 horsepower.
Swissloop
Origin: Switzerland
In 2017, the Swissloop pod called Escher placed third in the second competition. The Escher prototype was propelled by compressed air and uses magnets on skis for levitation. This year, the team has a whole new pod called Mujinga which will be powered by four electric motors.
Mujinga Kambudji is the name of Switzerland’s fastest women’s sprinter.
The team is comprised of about 18 students.
HyperXite
Origin: University of California Irvine
In the first competition of 2017, HyperXite placed in the top 5 for their overall design and was the fastest American team. It has reached speeds over 200 mph.
The prototype features magnetic braking and uses compressed air to levitate its skis to glide the pod on the track. The technology has been described as working like an upside down air-hockey table.