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Hyperloop

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201–210 of 983 posts

Re: Hyperloop

#201
post #153

That capsule ( http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2013-08-12/0812_Hyperloop_605.jpg ) looks like a claustrophobic's nightmare. Otherwise very, very cool.

How do you get out of there in case of fire? If the doors open like that I don't think it would work while inside the tube wouldn't it?

[deleted]

Re: Hyperloop

#202
post #32

"In the case of the Hyperloop, Musk started focusing on public transportation after he grew disenchanted with the plans for California’s high-speed rail system." And who says that big government stifles entrepreneurial innovation? If ALL Musk does with the Hyperloop announcement is shed more light on the potential debacle that is to be our $70b+ high-speed rail in California, we owe him a debt of gratitude. PS - Dire…

Can you please clarify why the high speed rail is likely to be a debacle ?

It seems pretty clear that California needs it and generally HSR is a pretty sensible infrastructure investment.

Re: Hyperloop

#203
post #153

That capsule ( http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2013-08-12/0812_Hyperloop_605.jpg ) looks like a claustrophobic's nightmare. Otherwise very, very cool.

How do you get out of there in case of fire? If the doors open like that I don't think it would work while inside the tube wouldn't it?

Well, there's a low grade vacuum outside so you probably don't want to.

It's a failure of the onboard steam tanks that scares me. ("The steam is stored onboard until reaching the station. Water and steam tanks are changed automatically at each stop")

I don't want to think about what the result of that would look like for the cleanup crew. Eeeewww.

Re: Hyperloop

#204
post #70

That capsule ( http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2013-08-12/0812_Hyperloop_605.jpg ) looks like a claustrophobic's nightmare. Otherwise very, very cool.

what happens when you develop unexpected gastric issues mid-30 minute journey?

sbashyal pointed out in another thread that you can't use the restroom on a commercial airline during take-off or landing either, which I thought was a great point.

Re: Hyperloop

#205
post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not claustrophobic, but this image ever so slightly terrified me: http://i.imgur.com/lGD9bUP.png I have to wonder, would making the capsule the size of a small subway car completely destroy the economics of it?

It's also scary that the passengers would suffocate if the life support system failed.

The paper discusses supplemental oxygen and emergency tube re-pressurization in the case of sudden evacuation of the atmosphere of a capsule.

It seems that detecting failures of this nature quickly would be the important thing. The fix looks to be relatively easy, though you would cause a major disruption to the whole Loop.

Re: Hyperloop

#206
post #32

"In the case of the Hyperloop, Musk started focusing on public transportation after he grew disenchanted with the plans for California’s high-speed rail system." And who says that big government stifles entrepreneurial innovation? If ALL Musk does with the Hyperloop announcement is shed more light on the potential debacle that is to be our $70b+ high-speed rail in California, we owe him a debt of gratitude. PS - Dire…

but why to ask California State for subsidy? Why not to build it using private funds? I'd imagine that if this is economically sound idea there must be potential investors lining up to have their share in the Project? The estimated cost is $7B. Now, Musk just needs to make a few calls to his friends at Google, Amazon, etc. Can't these guys just form a company together just to build it?

Maybe I'm naive... or maybe Musk for all his genius is focused on the Government grants too much instead of being focused on the investors in the business world.

If this brings profit, everybody want to own piece of the pie, no?

Re: Hyperloop

#207

I honestly expected better work. I feel like this is something everyday users on Reddit or HN could have put together in a report. I only gave it a look because Elon Musk's name is on it. That says something sad about me when it comes to the Big Imagination projects :-/

Part of what has made Musk so special is that he gets things done. As they say, ideas are a dime a dozen - what matters is execution and Musk has proven time and again that he can nail execution.

It's the same reason that pg & YC say that they really care about the founding team and frequently encourage the founders to pivot far away from their original ideas.

Re: Hyperloop

#208

Thought this was amazing: $20 for a one-way, 35 minute trip from SF to LA.

Well it has to beat a standard commuter car (~$45 one way@34mpg) by a significant margin to be useful for consumers. What about freight?

Time is money too. The drive from SF to LA is about 5.5 hours (per Google Maps). 5.5 hours of stress and frustration, compared to 30-40 minutes of hyperloop...

Re: Hyperloop

#209
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that's at a pressure of 100Pa (1/1000 atm). How much power does it take to maintain a vacuum of 1/1000atm in a tube hundreds of miles long? It seems this point is skipped over in the whitepaper, so perhaps its negligible. Edit: yes I was referring to the power to sustain a vacuum in a leaky system, of course no power is required to maintain a vacuum in a perfectly sealed system :)

I think that's handled by the rooftop solar cells.

Right, but that power is coming from somewhere, which costs something. Not a deal breaker, but saying "only 134hp" is sort of missing the point.

Re: Hyperloop

#210
post #199

Reading the entire PDF is highly recommended; it contains a surprising amount of answers already (including many to comments below). I think, if anything, safety aspects haven't been sufficiently explored in the pdf. I'm quite happy to believe it's safer than other modes of transport, but I wouldn't be too quick to overstate it. Also, if anyone can explain what "Tubes located on pylons would limit access to the criti…

I believe it means that the electrical components are not accessible from the ground where they might be vulnerable to vandals or animals.
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