Hyperloop Connecting Austin To Other Cities At Super Fast Speeds Closer To Reality (Video)

AUSTIN, TX — The world's first Hyperloop transportation system — with passenger pods thrusting commuters across cities at mind-numbing speeds nearing 700 miles per hour — is closer to becoming reality, with Austin smack dab in the middle of the network.

The brainchild of SpaceX and Tesla found Elon Musk, the envisioned transportation system would transport travelers through a low-pressure tube with in pods propelled by an electric motor. On Thursday, ten finalists were named to submit proposals for the system from a field of thousands.

One of those finalists for the Texas proposal would have Austin at the center of the multi-city route.

The transportation network aims to connect Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to Austin, San Antonio and Laredo, with a spur headed to Houston. If realized, commuters would be able to travel between Austin and Dallas in just 19 minutes and between Austin and San Antonio in just nine.

To put this in perspective: Getting to Dallas from Austin is currently a three-hour, 21-minute drive. Despite the two cities' proximity, traveling between Austin and San Antonio takes one hour, 19 minutes by car.

While the project may sound like science fiction, but it's surprisingly plausible and vettted by the available scientific data. The video below yields a primer on how the whole thing would work.

The ten finalists that emerged last week have been culled from an original pool of 2,600 teams submitting proposals last May to the Hyperloop One group that originally envisioned the super-fast network. The international competition is called the Hyperloop One Global Challenge.

And now, the hyperloop comes that much closer to reality. To stay in the loop (pun intended) on the hyperloop's progress via email alerts, click here.

It's a brave new world, kids.

>>> Image credit http://hyperloopupv.com/media via Wikimedia Commons