CEAC-2021-04-April

Historic Hyperloop Vehicle to Be
Unveiled to Public at Smithsonian
FUTURES Exhibition this Fall
WASHINGTON, D.C. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Just months after
the world’s first hyperloop passenger testing, Virgin Hyperloop
has announced that the passenger-carrying vehicle,
dubbed “Pegasus,” will be making its public debut at the
Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building in November 2021.
Previously, the Building has showcased world-changing
inventions like Edison’s lightbulb, the first telephones, and
Apollo rockets.
“Growing up, I spent family vacations at the Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum, seeing first-hand how
engineers could change the world,” said Josh Giegel, CEO
and Co-Founder of Virgin Hyperloop. “Having the vehicle the
Virgin Hyperloop team created on display at the Smithsonian,
inspiring the next generation of engineers to think big,
is truly a dream come true.”
The Virgin Hyperloop will join the ranks of cutting-edge innovations debuted
at Smithsonian. The vehicle made history in November 2020, carrying
the world’s first hyperloop passengers.
The historic Arts + Industries Building will temporarily
reopen this autumn for the first time in nearly two decades
with the debut exhibition FUTURES, the Smithsonian’s first
major building-wide exploration of the future. As part of the
FUTURES exhibit, Virgin Hyperloop invites visitors to imagine
an optimistic view of the future in transportation: a greener,
smoother, safer and more pleasant mass transit experience
for all.
“Since opening in 1881, the Arts + Industries Building has
been an incubator of ideas that, while at the time may have
felt unimaginable, have gone on to profoundly impact the
ways in which we experience the world around us,” said
Rachel Goslins, director of the Arts + Industries Building.
“Hyperloop is one of these leaps that signal a transformative
shift in how we could live and travel. We invite visitors to discover
the Pegasus pod in the very building where Americans
first encountered famous steam engines, the Apollo 11 lunar
capsule and the Spirit of St. Louis.”
By combining an ultra-efficient electric motor, magnetic levitation,
and a low-drag environment, hyperloop systems can
carry more people than a subway, at airline speeds, and with
zero direct emissions — completely transforming the way
we live, work, and play. The world’s first passenger testing
aboard the Pegasus vehicle brought this vision one step closer
to reality, ushering in a new era of sustainable mobility.
Visitors will be able to see the Pegasus vehicle in the FU-
TURES exhibition between November 2021 and July 2022. It
is free and open to the public.
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