Hyperloop One is in early discussions with the Indian government about bringing Elon Musk’s dream of high-speed travel via tube to the world’s second-most populous and seventh-largest country.
“Now traveling doesn’t need to take days!” said a tweet from Hyperloop One on Tuesday, asking the public to pick its favorite of five routes in India. The country is grappling with how to address pollution and congestion of its roadways. For example, a trip between New Delhi and Mumbai, with a stop in Jaipur and Indore, would take 83 minutes, the company says. A non-stop flight between New Delhi and Mumbai takes about two hours, and more than 33 hours by bus.
Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One will decide whether the project is feasible by the end of the year, the company’s chief executive Rob Lloyd said. He told Bloomberg News that using locally sourced components to build the system is one issue on the table.
Hyperloop One is not alone in India. Its competitor Hyperloop Transportation Technologies late last year pitched India on the technology, which aims to transport travelers in small levitating pods at speeds of jet airplanes.
India is one of the several countries the two upstarts are eyeing to test their technology in. Both are studying whether it’s feasible to zip passengers around in the United Arab Emirates.