'Hyperloop' would link LA-SF in 30 mins, if built (& another longish bet)

[Buster's Uncle]

'Hyperloop' would link LA-SF in 30 mins, if built
Associated Press
JUSTIN PRITCHARD 4 hours ago

An image released by Tesla Motors, is a sketch of the Hyperloop capsule with passengers onboard. . Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk on Monday, Aug. 12, 2013 unveiled a concept for a transport system he says would make the nearly 400-mile trip in half the time it takes an airplane. The "Hyperloop" system would use a large tube with capsules inside that would float on air, traveling at over 700 miles per hour. (AP Photo/Tesla Motors)

 
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Imagine stepping into a car-sized capsule in downtown Los Angeles and, 30 minutes later, emerging in San Francisco

On Monday, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk unveiled a transportation concept that he said could whisk passengers the nearly 400 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes — half the time it takes an airplane.

If it's ever built.

His "Hyperloop" system for travel between major cities would use a large tube. Inside, capsules would float on air, traveling at over 700 mph. The air would be sucked by a powerful fan at the front and expelled at the rear.

"Short of figuring out real teleportation, which would of course be awesome (someone please do this), the only option for super fast travel is to build a tube over or under the ground that contains a special environment," Musk wrote in his proposal, posted online.



This image released by Tesla Motors shows a conceptual design sketch of the Hyperloop passenger transport capsule


The system Musk envisions is not unlike the pneumatic tubes that transport capsules stuffed with paperwork in older buildings.

In this case, the cargo would be several people, reclining for the ride.

Coming from almost anyone else, the hyperbole would be hard to take seriously. But Musk has a track record of success. He co-founded online payment service PayPal, electric luxury carmaker Tesla Motors Inc. and rocket-building company SpaceX.

Monday's unveiling lived up to the hype part of its name.

Leading up to the unveiling, done on the SpaceX website, online speculation was feverish. Musk has been dropping hints about his system for more than a year during public events, mentioning that it could never crash and would be immune to weather.



An image released by Tesla Motors, is a conceptual design rendering of the Hyperloop passenger transport capsule.


During a Tesla earnings call on Thursday, Musk said he is too focused on other projects to consider actually building the Hyperloop.

"I think I kind of shot myself by ever mentioning the Hyperloop," he said. "I don't have any plans to execute, because I must remain focused on SpaceX and Tesla."

He said he would fulfill his commitment to publishing an open-source design, meaning anyone can use it and modify it.

http://news.yahoo.com/hyperloop-la-sf-30-mins-built-205854696.html

[Unorthodox]

How are we powering all this, and how loud is it?

[Buster's Uncle]

Good question.  A lot of details are going to have to be worked out for this.

[Fal]

This article discusses some of those details: http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/08/hyperloop-a-theoretical-760-mph-transit-system-made-of-sun-air-and-magnets/

Long story short, it will be covered with solar panels to generate power.  Noise I'm not so sure on, but I would think the fact that the tubes are low pressure pseudo-vacuums would keep the noise down, unless the vacuum pumps themselves are loud.

[Buster's Uncle]

"it will be covered with solar panels to generate power" - OMG!  Heinlein road cities coming!  Nerdgasm!

-No way that's anything but an offset (slight, I bet) to all the juice the thing will pull...

[Fal]

Not according to the initial document:

The document points out that a Hyperloop tube covered in solar arrays could generate about 52MW of power, a vast amount more than the estimated 6MW that would be needed to operate the Hyperloop itself.

Who knows if they're being overly optimistic though.

[Buster's Uncle]

I bet they are - but Robert A. Heinlein's ghost still ought to be very happy now.  He loved to brag about the stuff he turned out to be right about in his SF...

[Unorthodox]

I get the solar panels to power the vacuum tubes, but the cars/pods/whatever themselves will need power as well. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Solar panels over every square inch 20 feet across (or whatever) for hundreds of miles surely would generate ungodly amounts of power, but I see this thing using ungodly amounts.

I'll bet 100,000 AC2 EC at odds of 1,000 to 1 against all takers that, if this gets built in any timeframe that allows settling the bet, the Hyperloop does not export power in any meaningful ongoing way.  Shall I sticky this thread as part of that?

Take THAT, Heinlein.

[Buster's Uncle]

No takers?  'Fraid of losing 100 EC?  Gentlemen, are you game or are you lame?

[Buster's Uncle]

I AM talking about my own fake forum money - check the shop - I'm worth almost 2 billion and would have to lose 100 bets before I lost first place over I Have No Name.

[Dio]

This project is full of baloney. They can not even get a high speed rail built between L.A. and Sacramento. What makes you think they could get a tube built?

[Buster's Uncle]

I don't particularly, and am willing to stake a lot of fake money on the power issue...

[JarlWolf]

The problem with your bet BUncle is that I doubt anyone on this forum is going to be in support that this idea is going to work/happen.

So it appears redundant.

Unless someone signs off 100 EC just to be a devil's advocate. 

[Buster's Uncle]

It'd be more fun that way...