By 2020, Missouri is expecting a new form of transportation called the Hyperloop. The Hyperloop is a “Tube-based autonomous transportation system that uses electric propulsion to accelerate pods that levitate slightly above the track, thanks to strategically placed magnets that create magnetic fields,” according to BizJournals.

“I can’t wait for the [potential] completion of the Hyperloop One from Saint Louis to Kansas City because just to Colombia itself is a 15-minute ride on the Hyperloop,” sophomore Hunter Niles said.

This new form of transportation could take advantage of a variety of energy sources including solar, wind and kinetic. This is expected to lower the drive time between the two cities to a 23-minute ride from St. Louis to Kansas City, with potential departures as quickly as every 20 seconds. 

“If the Hyperloop has been tested enough and proven safe in virtually every scenario, then it’s great that they found a new and efficient high-speed form of transportation,” junior Josh Jaworski said.

The company making this option feasible is Los Angeles based Hyperloop One, a private company with a mission of transforming transportation.  The tube-based autonomous transportation system uses electric propulsion to accelerate pods that levitate slightly above the track, thanks to strategically placed magnets that create magnetic fields.

“For people that may be scared of heights, the Hyperloop is a good alternative to getting somewhere fast. Although we can’t exactly make them in the ocean yet for travel between [continents], it is really efficient,” junior Connor Benefield said.

Hyperloop One also has announced it wants to help companies ship freight faster. Its big vision is to create routes across the U.S., where freight could be delivered from coast to coast in five hours. With the explosion of e-commerce, more trucks are on the road, creating more congestion. But having an extensive Hyperloop system would reduce the number of trucks, help roads last longer and ease congestion, USAToday was told when they spoke to Nick Earle, Hyperloop One’s senior vice president of global operations.

For more info about the Hyperloop One and their future projects go to Hyperloop-One.com.