Elon Musk's Hyperloop pusher pod hit an impressive 220 mph in new test run

Congrats, Elon. 🎉
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 
Elon Musk's Hyperloop pusher pod hit an impressive 220 mph in new test run
Elon Musk speaks at the Hyperloop pod competition in January. Credit: Kate Allen/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Elon Musk is on his competitive A game right now.

After holding a SpaceX Hyperloop competition last weekend, where a team of students from Technical University Munich built a test pod that hit a record-breaking 201 mph, Musk set out to see if Tesla's very own Hyperloop pusher pod could beat the freshly set achievement.

Spoiler alert: It did.

On Thursday morning, Musk shared an Instagram post announcing he took the Hyperloop pod out on its own "to see what it could do when not pushing student pods."

The photograph and video show the Tesla train runs on a SpaceX test track and appears to be inclosed in a vacuum tube during its run.

During Musk's test, the pod reportedly reached a high speed of 355 km/h (220 mph), beating the WARR team — the first place winners of the contest — along with the Hyperloop One's earlier test-run of 192 mph.

As its name dictates, the pod normally works to push forward other pods forward, but when sent dow the track alone managed to reach an impressive 220 mph.

As for increasing the pod's speed in the future, it sounds like Musk isn't too sure what could happen.

"Maybe able get past 500 km/h (about half speed of sound) next month with a few tweaks or maybe tiny pieces," he wrote on Instagram.

Looking forward to it, Elon.

Mashable Image
Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Elon Musk’s SpaceX acquires Elon Musk's xAI, including social media platform X
SpaceX, xAI, and Grok logos

Takeaways from Elon Musk's xAI all-hands meeting: Ancient aliens, corporate structure, space catapults
Elon Musk and xAI logo

AI chatbots like ChatGPT are using info from Elon Musk's Grokipedia, report reveals
Grokipedia logo on mobile device

Elon Musk found liable for defrauding Twitter investors
Elon Musk arrives at federal court on March 4, 2026 in San Francisco, California.


More in Tech
Amazon's sister site is having a one-day sale, and this Bissell TurboClean deal is too good to skip
A woman using the Bissell TurboClean Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner Mop and Lightweight Wet/Dry Vacuum.

The best smartwatch you've never heard of is on sale for less than $50
Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro in light green with blue and green abstract background

Reddit r/all takes another step into the grave
Reddit logo on phone screen

Take back your screen from ads and trackers with this $16 tool
AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription


Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

What's new to streaming this week? (April 3, 2026)
A composite of images from film and TV streaming this week.

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!