Arrivo to Build Hyperloop-Inspired Network Across Denver

A number of companies have begun work on making Elon Musk’s hyperloop idea a reality. Now, one of these companies has scored a deal with the state of Colorado to build a high-speed transportation system across Denver.

Inspired by the hyperloop, Arrivo’s transportation model focuses on moving vehicles through an enclosed electromagnetic highway. Magnetic levitation will allow the vehicles to float, and electric power helps move them forward. It all sounds unreal, but the most surprising part is how quickly Arrivo plans to introduce this system. Arrivo wants to begin operating the first commercial route in Denver within the next four to five years.

Routes that would normally require sitting an hour in evening traffic take just minutes in the “City Zipper.” Driving from Boulder to downtown Denver, which usually takes an hour and five minutes during this peak time, will take just 8 minutes with Arrivo’s system, for example.

Arrivo’s system will drop vehicles off at their desired destination while continuing to move at full speed, the Colorado Department of Transportation says. It will carry both passengers and cargo.

Before introducing the high-speed transportation network, Arrivo will build a test site near the E-470 freeway. A test track will run right next to the toll highway where the first commercial leg of the network will likely be constructed.

Arrivo is based in Los Angeles, and as of recently, also in Aurora, Colorado. The company is expected to inject $10 to $15 million into Colorado’s economy by 2018. One of Arrivo’s co-founders, Brogan BamBrogan, used to work for Hyperloop One, and before that, SpaceX.

“Arrivo’s system is an additional layer of transportation designed to complement existing modes of transportation, connect with the airport, the metro, and even allow people to use it with their own car,” BamBrogan said in a release. “The residents, visitors and businesses of Denver will now have a new tool to be anywhere they want to be.”

To be clear, Arrivo’s “City Zipper” isn’t exactly a hyperloop. Notably, Arrivo is only looking to cover regional distances. It also differs from Elon Musk’s project, The Boring Company, which envisions an underground network that is said to accommodate practically limitless layers of tunnels.

Source: Arrivo, Colorado Department of Transportation

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