A Hyperloop prototype has hit a record speed of 288 mph (463 kmph), winning SpaceX's 2019 Hyperloop Pod Competition.
Described by SpaceX boss Elon Musk as "a cross between a Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table", Hyperloop is set to revolutionise the transport industry.
It works by propelling passengers and cargo through near-vacuum tubes at high speed inside purpose-built capsules.
A number of private companies are working on the technology - including Richard Branson's Virgin Hyperloop One, which aims to provide a fully operational Hyperloop system by 2021.
Student engineering teams around the world are also working on propulsion systems and pod designs, and each year pit them against one another at SpaceX's Hyperloop Pod Competition.
The pods must be capable of propelling themselves through a mile-long test tube, which has been especially constructed for the competition on SpaceX's premises in Los Angeles.
Forty-two teams took part in this year's contest, with a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) outstripping them all for the fourth time.
Their winning pod, based on the concept used last year, is almost 1.70 metres long, 50 cm wide and weighs approximately 70 kilograms.
It has a maximum power output of 320 kilowatts - twice as much as TUM's third prototype, which achieved a speed of 284 mph in last year's competition.
Elon Musk announced the news on Twitter , adding that next year's competition "will be in a 10km vacuum tunnel with a curve".
The target speed of a fully developed Hyperloop system is around 760 mph - close to the speed of sound - which would allow passengers to travel from London to Edinburgh in 50 minutes.
Virgin Hyperloop One has shuttled its full-scale test pod to speeds of 240 mph, so it has a some strides to take before it starts selling tickets to ride.
"We are seeing growing interest and excitement in the hyperloop vision from across the United States at both local and federal level," said Branson, during the company's recent Hyperloop on the Hill event in Washington D.C.
"I believe we could see a hyperloop in the U.S. in years, not decades."
