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[Polari]

Elon Musk's vision for an entirely new form of transportation will be revealed to the world on August 12th. The founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors tweeted this morning that he would "publish Hyperloop alpha design by Aug 12," and added "critical feedback for improvements would be much appreciated." Musk has previously revealed just a few tantalizing details for the Hyperloop, which he's described as a "fifth form" of transportation — the first four being planes, trains, automobiles and boats.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/15/4524726/elon-musk-will-reveal-plans-for-hyperloop-august-12th

This system I have in mind, [...] how would you like something that can never crash, is immune to weather, it goes 3 or 4 times faster than the [...] bullet train [...], it goes about an average speed of twice what an aircraft would do. You would go from downtown LA to downtown San Francisco in under 30 minutes. And it would cost you much less than an air ticket or car, much less than any other mode of transport, because the fundamental energy cost is so much lower. And I think we could actually make it self-powering if you put solar panels on it, [...] you generate more power than you would consume in the system. There's a way to store the power so it would run 24/7 without using batteries. [...] Yes, [this is possible,] absolutely.
—Elon Musk, July 12, 2012

"What you want is something that never crashes, that's at least twice as fast as a plane, that's solar powered and that leaves right when you arrive, so there is no waiting for a specific departure time," Musk says. His friends claim he's had a Hyperloop technological breakthrough over the summer. "I'd like to talk to the governor and president about it," Musk continues. "Because the $60 billion bullet train they're proposing in California would be the slowest bullet train in the world at the highest cost per mile. They're going for records in all the wrong ways." The cost of the SF-LA Hyperloop would be in the $6 billion range, he says.
—Bloomberg, September 13, 2012

I tend to think Musk is a massive dickhead, but will begrudgingly accept that he's leading the way for electric cars with Tesla. That said, Hyperloop sounds far more revolutionary. If he delivers even only half of what he's promising, the world as we know it is going to change.

 

[Somnid]

I got a business card from someone working on something similar. It's vacuum tube with 2 person cars using a derivative of mag-lev to shoot them through at high speed. Pods get accelerated along a track and then merged into the main loop. They had claimed to have had a prototype built in China but the claims were dubious. It's an interesting idea but there were a bunch of issues with the way he explained it.

No doubt in my mind this is the same thing.

 

[injurai]

a futurama future in inevitable

 

[Polari]

I got a business card from someone working on something similar. It's vacuum tube with 2 person cars using a derivative of mag-lev to shoot them through at high speed. Pods get accelerated along a track and then merged into the main loop. They had claimed to have had a prototype built in China but the claims were dubious. It's an interesting idea but there were a bunch of issues with the way he explained it.

No doubt in my mind this is the same thing.

Yeah there's a few people working on something along those lines. I think we'd be right to assume this is similar. Difference is I suppose that Musk has the means to make it happen.

 

[EvetS]

Good news everyone!

 

[Sub_Level]

If this gets made eventually an accident will occur and someone will get sucked in and have their intestines and stuff blown all over the place like in this suction pool accidents.

 

[equap]

http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/15/4524726/elon-musk-will-reveal-plans-for-hyperloop-august-12th



I tend to think Musk is a massive dickhead, but will begrudgingly accept that he's leading the way for electric cars with Tesla. That said, Hyperloop sounds far more revolutionary. If he delivers even only half of what he's promising, the world as we know it is going to change.

dickhead? you know that personally?

 

[Oppo]

If this gets made eventually an accident will occur and someone will get sucked in and have their intestines and stuff blown all over the place like in this suction pool accidents.

... and no one will care, because that sort of thing happens on an hourly basis with cars already.

Vacuum tubes. I knew we weren't done with vacuum tubes.

 

[Betta Lines]

dickhead? you know that personally?

He must hide it really well. I've never seen a phallus on his head during his many public appearances.

 

[toxicgonzo]

This system I have in mind, [...] how would you like something that can never crash, is immune to weather, it goes 3 or 4 times faster than the [...] bullet train [...], it goes about an average speed of twice what an aircraft would do. You would go from downtown LA to downtown San Francisco in under 30 minutes.

If this is the vacuum tube system, I seriously doubt this thing can never crash. How does something that moves twice the speed of an aircraft not have the ability to crash? Add in the extra difficulty factor of designing a system that runs in a pressure differential environment (vacuum) and I say while it might be safer the other modes of travel, when it does crash, it ain't gonna be pretty.

 

[KingGondo]

Meh, I'm skipping this press conference.

I'm expecting him to announce he's Iron Man at the next one.

 

[Skunkers]

I got a business card from someone working on something similar. It's vacuum tube with 2 person cars using a derivative of mag-lev to shoot them through at high speed. Pods get accelerated along a track and then merged into the main loop. They had claimed to have had a prototype built in China but the claims were dubious. It's an interesting idea but there were a bunch of issues with the way he explained it.

No doubt in my mind this is the same thing.

Reading the comments of the original article, it seems Elon Musk has already stated it is not a vacuum tube. Pretty crazy it would hit the speeds he is claiming with such low power if it's truly not in a vacuum. Some kind of ultra-aerodynamic modern mag lev PeopleMover?

 

[blahness]

Man, this better not end up being like the Segway announcement.

 

[Naked Snake]

I didn't expect this so soon, but he did say he won't work on it until Tesla is profitable... I guess that happened sooner than everyone expected.

I tend to think Musk is a massive dickhead

wut

 

[GSG Flash]

If there's anyone in this world who I can actually expect to back up their crazy futuristic fantasies with actions, it's Elon Musk. Can't wait to see this thing!

 

[Oppo]

Reading the comments of the original article, it seems Elon Musk has already stated it is not a vacuum tube. Pretty crazy it would hit the speeds he is claiming with such low power if it's truly not in a vacuum. Some kind of ultra-aerodynamic modern mag lev PeopleMover?

Ok that is definitely interesting. I can't imagine. A very slow teleporter? WTF is it?

 

[mrklaw]

something that can never crash

unpossible

 

[Guevara]

I really doubt this is possible, but I look forward to hearing exactly why or why not.

 

[Betta Lines]

Man, this better not end up being like the Segway announcement.

What was that?

 

[joe2187]

Dude's got a pretty cool name, it sounds like a cologne.

 

[gcubed]

If it was anyone besides Musk I'd completely ignore this

 

[Polari]

What was that?

Uh... when they announced the Segway. Basically the whole thing was hyped to hell in advance.

As for the feathers ruffled, if the announcement delivers fully on his self-aggrandising promises, I will retract my statement. Happy?

 

[DieH@rd]

Errrrr, is this gonna be air transport or something more grounded? The way I see it, he maybe thinks about maglev train transport inside vacuum tunnels. No air friction = higher speed & lower energy footprint. If they build it above ground, they can cover it with solar panels.

 

[Tim the Wiz]

dickhead? you know that personally?

His first wife describes him as one, as well as a workaholic obsessive. But that's hardly relevant unless you have a personal relationship with the man.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

Ok that is definitely interesting. I can't imagine. A very slow teleporter? WTF is it?

he's going to move SF closer to LA

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

I guarantee you somebody will find a way to crash it.

 

[RoboPlato]

This sounds like something that could be awesome.

 

[gcubed]

I guarantee you somebody will find a way to crash it.

Yea, amazingly that's the most dubious claim. Nothing is uncrashable.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Yea, amazingly that's the most dubious claim. Nothing is uncrashable.

"Oh no, you can't crash it, but it can get derailed, and there can be mechanical failures, and extreme weather conditions can cause the magic tubes to crack open and fling you out at 800 mph."

 

[Kinitari]

"Oh no, you can't crash it, but it can get derailed, and there can be mechanical failures, and extreme weather conditions can cause the magic tubes to crack open and fling you out at 800 mph."

Well, maybe the transportation system isn't what you are picturing - maybe it's just something that fundamentally functions in a way that makes 'crashing' impossible, or at least close enough to impossible that he feels comfortable enough using the word.

 

[The Elite]

I got a business card from someone working on something similar. It's vacuum tube with 2 person cars using a derivative of mag-lev to shoot them through at high speed. Pods get accelerated along a track and then merged into the main loop. They had claimed to have had a prototype built in China but the claims were dubious. It's an interesting idea but there were a bunch of issues with the way he explained it.

No doubt in my mind this is the same thing.

This is what comes to mind after reading your description.

 

[AstroNut325]

Why does it matter that Elon Musk is some sort of "dickhead"? As if we need LESS people like him. There are VERY few people bringing positive changes to our world and fundamentally move humanity forward. Screw the haters... In Elon We Trust. Or... In Musk We Trust.

 

[Cat Party]

he's going to move SF closer to LA

He's going to invent slower clocks.

 

[Skunkers]

Ok that is definitely interesting. I can't imagine. A very slow teleporter? WTF is it?

Pretty confounding. Just running through possibilities in my mind, I don't see how such a thing is possible without being in a vacuum tube. Maybe he just means vacuum will not be the method of conveyance, but rather what Somnid suggested: linear synchronous motors providing the means of acceleration/deceleration on a mag-lev track within a vacuum tube. It's really the only thing that makes sense given the requirements for low cost/low power usage/high speed/cannot crash.

The cannot crash thing is debatable, but essentially a lightweight vehicle that fills up the inside of a strong vacuum tube (kinda picturing an acrylic tunnel like aquariums use but probably much thinner walls) would not be able to crash or derail as we traditionally think of it, barring something else significantly damaging the tunnel. The fact the tunnel must be in vacuum means if such damage were to occur, pressure sensors along the tube/track would show it, and Control would instantly know about it and be able to stop any vehicles in motion (and they'd be slowing down/stopping anyway without vacuum). Worse case the mag lev fails and the vehicle grinds/rolls to a stop, or the vacuum fails and the vehicle eventually "valleys" due to aerodynamics and/or incline if it is not self-powering. The real trick with vacuum tubes is that the vehicle must carry an onboard oxygen supply, and failsafes must include a means to re-pressurize the tunnel quickly (preferably with an option to do it from within the vehicle) in the event of an emergency.

 

[Capital_Five]

Underwater tubes using the pressure of being deep under the ocean to push small cylinders through them accelerated by science magnets.

 

[AstroNut325]

Pretty confounding. Just running through possibilities in my mind, I don't see how such a thing is possible without being in a vacuum tube. Maybe he just means vacuum will not be the method of conveyance, but rather what Somnid suggested: linear synchronous motors providing the means of acceleration/deceleration on a mag-lev track within a vacuum tube. It's really the only thing that makes sense given the requirements for low cost/low power usage/high speed/cannot crash.

The cannot crash thing is debatable, but essentially a lightweight vehicle that fills up the inside of a strong vacuum tube (kinda picturing an acrylic tunnel like aquariums use but probably much thinner walls) would not be able to crash or derail as we traditionally think of it, barring something else significantly damaging the tunnel. Worse case the mag lev fails and the vehicle grinds/rolls to a stop, or the vacuum fails and the vehicle eventually "valleys" due to aerodynamics and/or incline if it is not self-powering. The real trick with vacuum tubes is that the vehicle must carry an onboard oxygen supply, and failsafes must include a means to re-pressurize the tunnel quickly (preferably with an option to do it from within the vehicle) in the event of an emergency.

This still doesn't add up. I thought I recall Musk saying the Hyperloop doesn't require any "rail" like infrastructure either. Requiring any sort of ground infrastructure will drive the cost of implementing it through the roof (e.g. $100 billion for HSR between LA and SF).

 

[Bit-Bit]

This better not be another segway.

 

[mrklaw]

if you're injecting capsules into a main tube, there is plenty of opportunity for crashes.

and I'm not sure suffocating or being crushed is a better alternative - arguing semantics with Musk when you're dead probably won't get you anywhere.

 

[mrklaw]

This still doesn't add up. I thought I recall Musk saying the Hyperloop doesn't require any "rail" like infrastructure either. Requiring any sort of ground infrastructure will drive the cost of implementing it through the roof (e.g. $100 billion for HSR between LA and SF).

SpaceX related? strap yourself into a ballistic missile?

 

[diffusionx]

I'm pretty sure it's the sixth form of transportation, Musk forgot about Segways.

 

[AstroNut325]

SpaceX related? strap yourself into a ballistic missile?

Strangely... that's what I'm thinking. Without much ground infrastructure the laws of physics dictate that you're going to LEO and back down to achieve that "30 minute" claim. But getting to LEO isn't cheap... or that safe. At least not yet.

Edit:
Perhaps some sort of Space Elevator?

 

[Skunkers]

This still doesn't add up. I thought I recall Musk saying the Hyperloop doesn't require any "rail" like infrastructure either. Requiring any sort of ground infrastructure will drive the cost of implementing it through the roof (e.g. $100 billion for HSR between LA and SF).

Well, I mean, there has to be a ground infrastructure, unless it flies. You can't have vehicles going 800+mph on existing roads/rails. He's just saying whatever Hyperloop is, it's much cheaper than HSR.

 

[DieH@rd]

380 miles for 30 mins, that's 760 mph, or 1223km/h. That's approaching speed of sound, and that's just average speed. In reality, high speed sections would need to be faster.

Its gonna be vacuumed maglev bullet train network [not perfect vacuum of course], with possibly natural way of moving from high pressure zones to low pressure zones [quick dives in and out of several liquid zones at low speeds].

This could work. Very ambitions, but achievable.

 

[nickcv]

he's going to move SF closer to LA

brilliant solution!

 

[AstroNut325]

380 miles for 30 mins, that's 760 mph, or 1223km/h. That's approaching speed of sound, and that's just average speed. In reality, high speed sections would need to be faster.

Its gonna be vacuumed maglev bullet train network [not perfect vacuum of course], with possibly natural way of moving from high pressure zones to low pressure zones [quick dives in and out of several liquid zones at low speeds].

This could work. Very ambitions, but achievable.

Again... there is no possible way to lay 700+ miles of track and infrastructure for MAGLEV (in a vacuum at that) for less than $10 billion USD in California. If Musk needs a rail like infrastructure then his cost figures are way off.

 

[Conciliator]

hell yeah person tubes, the future is here.

 

[WordAssassin]

Him saying there are no wait times makes it sound like there isn't a pod or car to get in. Even if it's this vacuum tube thing that sounds like there would at least still be something you get into that naturally you'd have to wait for, unless you just get into the tube Futurama style?

At any rate I am quite intrigued. I like Segways and I think the concept it sound (as an easy way to commute around a large city without needing a car, obviously they can't replace anything for actual travel), but this is a much larger scale so obviously it's going to be way more awesome.

 

[nickcv]

How are people not going to get sick travelling a 1100 kmh ?

 

[FStop7]

Strap me in.

 

[DieH@rd]

How are people not going to get sick travelling a 1100 kmh ?

Because they will not know they are traveling that fast, no windows. Nobody gets sick if the car accelerates from 0 to 100kmh [60mhp] in 15 seconds. With same acceleration, you can reach 1500kmh in less than 4 minutes.