DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The futuristic city-state of Dubai announced a deal on Tuesday with Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One to study the potential for building a line linking it to the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi.
The announcement of the deal took place atop the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, with a panoramic view of the skyline of this futuristic city-state serving as both a backdrop and a sign of Dubai’s desire to be the first to rush toward the future.
However, no financial terms were immediately discussed and the technology itself remains under testing, despite the Apple-like product talk given by Hyperloop CEO Rob Lloyd.
“This has become a transportation hub and leader in the world,” Lloyd said, mentioning long-haul carrier Emirates and the city’s driverless metro, the longest in the world. “In the Emirates, we believe everything is possible.”
A hyperloop has levitating pods powered by electricity and magnetism that hurtle through low-friction pipes at a top speed of 1,220 kph (760 mph). Tesla co-founder Elon Musk first proposed the idea in 2013.