Hyperloop One, the firm tasked with exploring Elon Musk's high-speed transport concept, plans to build its first network in the United Arab Emirates.
The technology could cut the two-hour journey between Dubai and Abu Dhabi to 12 minutes. But it won't be up and running anytime soon; for the next three months, Hyperloop One will work with architecture and transportation firms to determine how best to build it.
"Dubai makes perfect sense for Hyperloop One because this is the 21st century's global transport hub and its leaders understand that Hyperloop One is ushering in the next era of transportation," Executive Chairman Shervin Pisheva said in a statement.
The main portal will be located in front of local landmark Burj Khalifa, allowing passengers direct access to the world's tallest building and largest shopping mall.
Like calling an Uber, passengers summon an autonomous pod to ferry them into the portal and through to their final stop. "We're going to create a seamless experience that starts the moment you think about being somewhere—not going somewhere," said Josh Giegel, president of engineering at Hyperloop One. "We don't sell cars, boats, trains, or planes. We sell time."
Hyperloop is the brainchild of Tesla and SpaceX founder Musk, who in August 2013 unveiled plans for a $6 billion system that would allow for high-speed travel between US cities—ideally moving people to and from San Francisco and Los Angeles in 30 minutes.
Musk is too busy with SpaceX and Tesla to build a Hyperloop, though, so he called on entrepreneurs to do the heavy lifting. Companies like Hyperloop One and rival Hyperloop Transportation Technologies have since emerged, with Hyperloop One making overtures to Russia and Nevada in the US, and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies working with officials in Slovakia and Germany.
At this point, it's all still very pie in the sky; we saw a brief demo from Hyperloop One in the Nevada desert this year, but the average traveler probably won't be booking their Hyperloop journey anytime soon.