Hyperloop One
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA defunct American transportation-technology company that developed and tested vacuum-tube transportation systems for high-speed passenger and freight movement.
Last updated October 14, 2026
Overview
Hyperloop One was an American transportation-technology company created to commercialize hyperloop travel, a proposed transportation system in which magnetically levitated vehicles move through a partially evacuated tube. The concept promised airline-like speeds with potentially lower land requirements, reduced turbulence, automated operation, and direct, on-demand journeys. The company did not invent the broader idea of vacuum transportation, but it became one of the most visible commercial developers after Elon Musk published his Hyperloop Alpha concept in 2013 and released it for others to develop. The company was incorporated in 2014 as Hyperloop Technologies. Its early backers and organizers included investor Shervin Pishevar, entrepreneur and investor David O. Sacks, Joe Lonsdale, Jim Messina, and former SpaceX engineer Brogan Bambrogan. It initially operated from Los Angeles and attracted substantial attention from engineers, investors, infrastructure companies, and governments. In 2015, former Cisco executive Rob Lloyd joined the company and later became chief executive. The business raised venture capital from investors including Sherpa Capital, Formation 8, 137 Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Zhen Fund, GE Ventures, SNCF, and DP World. Hyperloop One concentrated on developing the physical technology needed for a working system rather than simply promoting a route concept. Its engineering program covered electric propulsion, magnetic levitation, vacuum management, control systems, tubes, structures, airlocks, and vehicle design. The company constructed the 500-metre Development Loop, or DevLoop, at its test site in North Las Vegas. In May 2016, an open-air propulsion test accelerated a sled to approximately 216 kilometres per hour. In May 2017, the company completed a full-system test involving a depressurized tube and integrated propulsion, levitation, braking, control, and structural components. The company developed the XP-1 test vehicle and reported speeds of approximately 309 kilometres per hour in 2017, followed by a reported 387-kilometre-per-hour run later that year. In 2020, after hundreds of uncrewed tests, it carried its first two human passengers in a near-vacuum test. That event was presented as a significant technical milestone, although it remained a short demonstration rather than a commercial transport service. Hyperloop One pursued projects and feasibility studies in numerous markets. Its proposals and memoranda covered potential systems in the United Arab Emirates, Russia, India, Europe, and North America. DP World became an important strategic partner, particularly for freight applications and a proposed cargo offloader at Jebel Ali in Dubai. The company also worked with engineering, design, transport, and infrastructure organizations including AECOM, SYSTRA, Arup, Deutsche Bahn, General Electric, and Bjarke Ingels Group. The brand changed several times. In 2017, a strategic investment relationship with Virgin Group led to the name Virgin Hyperloop One, with Richard Branson joining the board and later serving as chairman. In 2020, it shortened its public name to Virgin Hyperloop. In 2022, it reverted to Hyperloop One as the company moved away from passenger transport and concentrated on freight. That strategic change followed layoffs of more than 100 employees, reportedly about half of its workforce. A second round of layoffs was reported later in 2022, and the proposed West Virginia certification facility was ultimately cancelled. The company announced in December 2023 that it would cease operations at the end of that year. The shutdown followed financial pressure, high interest rates, difficulty obtaining infrastructure contracts, and the absence of a completed commercial hyperloop system. Remaining employees were laid off and assets were placed for sale. Its intellectual property was reported as transferring to DP World. Hyperloop One therefore ended as a technology-development company without…
History
Hyperloop One emerged from the surge of interest generated by Elon Musk's 2013 Hyperloop Alpha white paper. The modern concept proposed moving a pod through a low-pressure tube using electric propulsion and levitation, allowing high speed with limited rolling resistance and fewer at-grade crossings than conventional rail. Shervin Pishevar subsequently established Hyperloop Technologies in 2014, recruiting investors, engineers, and former SpaceX personnel. Brogan Bambrogan was among the early technical leaders, and the company initially worked from Los Angeles before expanding its engineering campus. The business raised venture capital and changed its name to Hyperloop One in 2017. Its central engineering effort was the DevLoop in North Las Vegas, a 500-metre test tube used to validate propulsion and integrated system functions. The company demonstrated propulsion in May 2016 and completed a full-system test in May 2017. It then developed the XP-1 pod, testing it at speeds above 300 kilometres per hour and later demonstrating an airlock system that avoided depressurizing the entire tube for each run. Hyperloop One also pursued commercial relationships and government studies. It worked with DP World on freight applications in Dubai and discussed routes or facilities with authorities and partners in the United Arab Emirates, Russia, India, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Estonia, and the United States. The Virgin Group partnership in 2017 brought a prominent consumer-facing brand and led to the Virgin Hyperloop One name. In 2020, the company became Virgin Hyperloop and presented a passenger vehicle concept designed with Teague. It also conducted the first human hyperloop test in November 2020, carrying Josh Giegel and Sara Luchian. Commercial deployment remained elusive. In 2022, the company laid off more than 100 employees and shifted its emphasis from passenger travel to freight. Further reductions followed, while the proposed West Virginia certification center was cancelled. The company subsequently returned to the Hyperloop One name. In December 2023 it announced that it would cease operations on December 31. The closure involved staff reductions, asset sales, and reported transfer of intellectual property to DP World. The company ended without opening a commercial passenger or freight route.
- 2023
Operations cease
[2]The company announces the end of operations and begins laying off staff and selling assets.
- 2022
Freight strategy adopted
[3]The company ends its passenger-focused program and redirects resources toward cargo systems.
- 2020
First human hyperloop test
[1]Two passengers travel in XP-2 at approximately 172 kilometres per hour in a near-vacuum environment.
- 2017
DevLoop full-system test
[1]The company tests vacuum, propulsion, levitation, controls, braking, and structural elements together in its Nevada test loop.
- 2017
Virgin strategic partnership
[1]A strategic investment relationship with Virgin Group leads to the Virgin Hyperloop One brand.
- 2016
First propulsion demonstration
[1]A sled reaches about 216 kilometres per hour during an open-air propulsion test in North Las Vegas.
- 2014
Hyperloop Technologies is established
[1]The company is founded to develop and commercialize hyperloop transportation technology.
Products and positioning
A technology developer seeking to make hyperloop transportation commercially viable for freight and passengers through integrated propulsion, levitation, vacuum-tube, vehicle, and control systems.
Test infrastructure · 2016
DevLoop
A 500-metre test loop constructed at the company's North Las Vegas site. DevLoop was used to test propulsion, levitation, vacuum conditions, braking, control systems, vehicle integration, and airlock procedures. It provided the principal physical environment for the company's full-scale demonstrations, including the 2017 XP-1 runs and the 2020 human trial.
Experimental pod · 2017
XP-1
The company's first full-scale experimental pod, developed to validate aerodynamics, propulsion, braking, levitation, and airlock operation in a depressurized tube. The vehicle reached reported test speeds of approximately 309 kilometres per hour in 2017 and approximately 387 kilometres per hour later that year.
Passenger test vehicle · 2020
XP-2
A passenger-oriented experimental vehicle designed with Bjarke Ingels Group and Kilo Design. XP-2 was used for the November 2020 human trial, during which two people traveled through the near-vacuum DevLoop at approximately 172 kilometres per hour.
Passenger vehicle design · 2021
Commercial hyperloop vehicle concept
A proposed production vehicle developed with Seattle design firm Teague. The concept was planned to accommodate roughly 28 passengers per vehicle and operate in convoys capable of moving larger passenger volumes. It remained a design proposal rather than a deployed commercial product.
Controversies
2017
Sexual-misconduct allegations involving Shervin Pishevar
Multiple women accused co-founder Shervin Pishevar of sexual misconduct. He took a leave of absence from the company in December 2017. The allegations were reported in the context of his role and did not establish that the company itself committed misconduct.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019XP-1 roadshow
United States
The company transported XP-1 to locations including Ohio, Texas, Kansas, New York, Missouri, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., to demonstrate the technology and engage potential partners and the public.
Outcome. Raised visibility but did not produce a commercial operating route.
Brand decisions
2023
Wind down operationsOtherBackground
The company had not secured a contract to build and operate a working hyperloop system and faced financial pressure and a difficult interest-rate environment.
Action taken
It announced that operations would end on December 31, began selling assets, and laid off remaining employees.
Aftermath
The business ceased operating and its intellectual property was reported to be moving to majority stakeholder DP World.
2022
Shift from passenger transport to freightStrategyBackground
After the human demonstration, the company faced substantial technical, regulatory, capital, and infrastructure challenges in developing a passenger system.
Action taken
The company abandoned plans for human-rated travel, laid off more than 100 employees, and concentrated its development program on freight.
Aftermath
The West Virginia certification project was later cancelled, further narrowing the company's development ambitions.
2017
Enter a strategic partnership with Virgin GroupStrategyBackground
The company sought additional capital, commercial credibility, and international reach as it moved from laboratory demonstrations toward proposed passenger and mixed-use systems.
Action taken
It accepted a strategic investment relationship with Virgin Group, added Richard Branson to its board, and adopted the Virgin Hyperloop One name.
Aftermath
The partnership increased global visibility and led to additional brand changes, but no commercial hyperloop system was completed.
Recent events
- 2023
Hyperloop One announces shutdown[2]
Bankruptcy · Other
The company announced that it would stop operating at the end of December after failing to secure a contract for a working hyperloop system.
- 2022
Company shifts from passenger travel to freight[3]
Leadership change
The company abandoned its human-rated passenger plans, reduced its workforce, and redirected its development strategy toward cargo.
- 2020
Virgin Hyperloop carries its first passengers[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Two company executives traveled in the XP-2 vehicle at approximately 172 kilometres per hour in a near-vacuum test.
- 2017
Hyperloop One completes its first full-system test[1]
Product generation · Other
The company tested an integrated hyperloop system combining vacuum, propulsion, levitation, control, and structural components.
- 2017
Virgin partnership produces Virgin Hyperloop One[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Virgin Group entered a strategic investment partnership with the company, and Richard Branson joined its board.
- 2016
Hyperloop One conducts an open-air propulsion test[1]
Product launch · Other
A propulsion sled reached approximately 216 kilometres per hour at the North Las Vegas test site.
Sources5 sources
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