Virgin Hyperloop One demos end-to-end passenger experience app

Credit: HERE Technologies

Virgin Hyperloop One is sharing its vision of a seamless travel experience through the first-ever hyperloop passenger application demo, powered by HERE Technologies.

The company is showcasing its application designed for real-time, on-demand travel throughout the transportation ecosystem with its first demonstration of the Virgin Hyperloop One passenger experience.

“Hyperloop is not just about A to B, it’s an end-to-end passenger experience – that means no waiting at any point along the journey,” said Matt Jones, Virgin Hyperloop One’s SVP Software Engineering. “HERE shares our vision for optimising travel. We will redefine the passenger experience by offering real time, on demand travel connecting hyperloop, other modes and even indoor walking directions.”  

Using the application, passengers will be able to plan, book and pay for hyperloop journeys as well as other modes of transportation including public, private and ride-shares. The application is the latest to be released using HERE Technologies’ Mobile Software Development Kit for Business which enables detailed location, mapping and navigation capabilities for 136 countries, public transit information for more than 1,300 cities and 3D indoor and venue maps.

The application will feature end-to-end route navigation including, for the first time, turn-by-turn indoor walking directions; helping passengers negotiate large transit centres, venues, shopping centres and airports. Passengers can customise their travel preferences by choosing route options such as the fastest, cheapest or greenest.

“This collaboration demonstrates the future of transportation and mobility,” said CEO of HERE Technologies, Edzard Overbeek. “Supported by our open location platform, Virgin Hyperloop One is showing how its ground-breaking mode of transportation will be seamlessly integrated into an end-to-end, multimodal travel experience that will redefine personal mobility.”

Additionally, the Virgin Hyperloop One XP-1 pod used in recent phase three testing, where the company achieved record speeds of 240 mph will be unveiled to the public for the first time at CES at the HERE Technologies Booth. The Virgin Hyperloop One XP-1 Pod is the first-generation design of the passenger pod and the only full-scale pod in the world that achieves autonomous high-speed propulsion and levitation in a controlled low-pressure environment.

“We’re giving the public a taste of what a Virgin Hyperloop One experience will be like by publicly unveiling our pod and demonstrating how passengers will experience booking a hyperloop trip from their pocket,” said CEO of Virgin Hyperloop One, Rob Lloyd. “Every hardware and software milestone brings us closer to commercialising hyperloop.”