Hyperloop One – the global high-speed transport company and Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA) participant – launched its new vision for the future of the global transport sector at an event held at the Burj Khalifa today (Tuesday, November 8, 2016).
During the event –which was attended by His Excellency Sultan Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman of Dubai Ports World, and His Excellency Saif Al Aleeli, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, and a number of government officials and executives from international companies, and representatives from international media – Hyperloop One gave a presentation revealing its vision for the future of the transport sector using Dubai as an example.
The company’s vision consists of combining self-driving cars with Hyperloop technology. Individuals can commute for limited distances within the city in small self-driving vehicles. These vehicles can then board the Hyperloop train to travel for longer distances – including between cities – with speeds that can reach 1,200 kilometers per hour, exceeding aircraft speed. Hyperloop stations will be spread all around the city, providing easy and convenient access. This would effectively reduce travel time between Dubai and Abu Dhabi to less than 12 minutes, and between Dubai and Riyadh to less than 48 minutes.
The new technology is set to have positive implications on urban planning; it will economize parking spaces as it changes the way individuals commute within the city, as well as to and from logistical centers such as airports and ports – not to mention the impact it will have on shipping.
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, said: “Dubai has become a model for the cities of the future, launching one revolutionary initiative after the other and drastically reshaping strategic economic sectors. This is due in large part to the ambitious vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as well as the close attention of H.H.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation.”
“History stands witness to the significant impact that innovations in the transport sector can have on economic and social institutions,” H.E. Al Tayer continued. “Every historical era that witnessed the invention of a new means of transportation – from ships to cars to airplanes – equally witnessed a radical shift in trade, which eventually led to notable economic growth. Moreover, the movement of people across borders also increased, bringing about a great exchange of culture.”
H.E. went on to affirm that, over the course of the next decade, the world is set to embrace a new generation of vehicles and transportation systems. Hyperloop technology is at the fore of these developments, H.E. Al Tayer noted, adding that Dubai is moving forward with initiatives and partnerships to realize the objectives of the Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy, which aims to render 25% of all transportations in the emirate driverless by 2030.
The event also saw the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) sign an agreement with Hyperloop One to work through the Accelerators program and develop a prototype of the project. This will make it possible to examine all aspects of implementing Hyperloop technology to connect Dubai with a number cities and destinations, and to determine its economic feasibility. If proven feasible, the emirate intends to implement the technology, which stands to reshape the entire transportation and logistics sector around the world.
Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hypeloop One, said: “Today, Dubai has truly become the city of speed and the future. The emirate offers fertile ground for people to turn their ambitions into realities. The Dubai Future Accelerators program, though only a few months old, is now a gateway for the world’s most innovative companies to materialize their ideas, and achieve tangible results that can change the future and benefit mankind.”
Lloyd went on to praise the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) for developing a unique future-oriented model for the transportation sector, one that can countries around the world can benefit from.
RTA is one of the founding partners of the Dubai Future Accelerators program. Through its accelerator, the Authority explores the future of transportation and smart self-driving systems that stand to increase the efficiency of the transportation sector and reduce carbon emissions.
The Dubai Future Accelerators is an intensive 12-week program that pairs top companies and cutting-edge entrepreneurs with powerful partners in Dubai to create breakthrough solutions together. It explores and develops the technologies of the future and employs them to resolve problems and challenges facing the cities of the 21st century.