The State of Colorado’s Department of Transportation and the E-470 Public Highway Authority are partnering with Arrivo to examine ways to use vacuum tubes to reduce traffic congestion and create a high-speed transportation system. The proposed system would be comprised of a series of vacuum tubes installed in the median strip of highways, with cars entering at designated locations. Sitting on a levitating sled, the vehicles would then be propelled across distances at a speed of 200 miles an hour. The hyperloop system could also be used to ship cargo containers and passenger shuttles.
“Colorado’s rapidly growing population and booming economy makes for the ideal location for the development of an Arrivo system,” said governor John Hickenlooper. “Arrivo’s additional decision to locate their test facilities, adding up to 200 employees by 2020 and $10 to $15 million to our economy in 2018, is a testament to the culture of innovation that drives our economic engine.”
The autonomous network is engineered as a seamless layer of transportation that integrates with existing roadways, city metros, and automobiles. The system uses only electric power to propel the vehicles and magnetic levitation to float the vehicles at high speeds. The project plans to test its concept by building a full-system test track running alongside the E-470 toll road which connects the city to Denver International Airport.
“Twenty-first century transportation technology is finally arriving, and Denver is positioned to be the early benefactor,” said Brogan BamBrogan, co-founder of Arrivo. “Everyone is a winner with our technology. Passengers and cargo arrive quickly and efficiently at extremely low cost. The whole region also wins as our high-throughput enables more total miles traveled to support growth and economic firepower. Arrivo will end traffic and future-proof regional mobility. Now that’s a big win.”
