So this guy is proposing this thing called the “Hyperloop” which will get people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in a half hour. I don’t really get it. If I were like stuck in Los Angeles, I’d want to get out quick, but my destination would not be San Francisco. Now, if it went to Boise and Los Angeles, then I have a quick escape route if for some reason I end up in Los Angeles. But that probably won’t happen often. How about between Boise and Texas — now it would actually be transporting people between useful places. That’s a great idea. I should be a billionaire proposing things, because the ones we have now aren’t very good.
I think it’s just for rich people to avoid having to look at “Fly over” country.
Sounds like a rip-off of the mexi-cannon.
This could be free if it was used in the production of Soylent Green. At those speeds it would be nearly as humane as a blender full of puppies.
Frank, it must be a Quantum Mechanical device that’s only good between liberal cities who want to put up investment money. The thing is, that if you get in it, you could be dead when the door is opened at the other end.
Secondly, Elon Musk hasn’t consulted any electrical engineers because, (a) most say publicly it won’t work, especially to conservative places like Idaho and Texas; and, (b) most EE’s are conservative.
Hey! I solved engineering AND politics at the same time!
It’s a rail navigated hovercraft accelerated via linear motor. I can’t think of two less electrically efficient ideas to combine. In addition, there’s the massive material loss in turning your project into a plasmoid as it’s superheated by induction and accelerated instantly to mach-3.
I’ve seen railguns in operation, had a hand in building a few small scale coilguns too. Wonder how much land he’s going to need for the gargantuan capacitor banks (and the solar panels to charge them, apparently) required to throw a commuter train across Cali.
I bet one from Mexico to L.A. would get a lot more use.
I prefer the Lex Luthor solution to the LA problem