Hyperloop Concept. Source: Wired.it (Creative Commons license).
You can always count on Elon Musk to dream big. All his business ideas involve a high level of daring, including the Hyperloop. In the modern age, Musk’s name has come to be closely associated with the word Hyperloop.
The concept of the Hyperloop has been around for a long time, especially in sci-fi flicks. However, Musk’s 2013 paper recommending it as a solution to mass transport reignited interest in it.
Hyperloop centers on the idea of floating pods that transport passengers by racing along at over 700 miles per hour inside giant low-pressure tubes. The pods could be moving underground or above ground on pylons. In his paper, Musk suggested constructing such a tube along California Interstate 5 highway.
Hyperloop centers on the idea of floating pods that transport passengers by racing along at over 700 miles per hour inside giant low-pressure tubes.
Fast rails differ from Hyperloop because the pods move inside tubes or tunnels, with most of the air removed to reduce friction. Another difference is that the pods float in air. In Musk’s original design, the Hyperloop can be self-powering by fixing solar panels on the tube, with a battery system for storing energy for use at night.
The pods could either be suspended by air or magnetic levitation. In the former case, Musk says the pod generates the air cushion and takes off with a push from an external linear electric motor. Every 70 miles, the pod would get another boost.
Each pod would carry 28 passengers and depart every two minutes or less during rush hour. A version of the pod would be dedicated to transporting cargo.
Despite releasing a comprehensive document on Hyperloop, Musk initially said he was too busy to build one. Other companies took the idea and ran with it. One of the companies actively working on the Hyperloop is Virgin Hyperloop One, associated with Musk’s billionaire friend, Richard Branson. Others include Hyperloop Transport Technologies, and Transpod, Arrivo, among others.
Musk eventually set up The Boring Company, intending to make it faster to dig tunnels between cities, which would work well with the Hyperloop. The company wants to make tunneling less expensive by making faster and more efficient digging machines powered by electricity instead of diesel fuel.
The Boring Company has a Hyperloop test track at its Hawthorne, California headquarters. It also organized the Hyperloop Pod Competition for university teams to design and build the best transport pod.
The company has since won a contract with the Las Vegas Convention Center to build a series of underground tunnels or loops to transport visitors quickly. However, nothing near the speeds promised by Hyperloop has been achieved yet.