Earlier quoted context omitted.
what happens when you develop unexpected gastric issues mid-30 minute journey?
Each chair is actually a toilet. Problem solved.
This is genius.
Hyperloop
251–260 of 983 posts
Re: Hyperloop
#252"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 Mus…
(1) CA is much better positioned to straighten out the land use issues. It needs to use the existing I-5 right of way, it needs to tunnel through some mountains, and it probably needs to eminent domain some additional bits of land for pylon bases where I-5 curves too sharply. No matter what, this is a project that has to pass the legislature in order to get built.
(2) A CA-sponsored bond issue must be by far the lowest cost way to finance a $7B infrastructure project that's amortized over 30 years.
Re: Hyperloop
#253Earlier quoted context omitted.
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...
Up to 8 hours when there's construction on I-5, jams into your destination city, or when you're taking kids who need bathroom breaks.
Re: Hyperloop
#254Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 Mus…
You need government backing to acquire the land.
Ah, that's boring. Look, we're talking about progress here, no Government burocrat should be able to stop us. Just $1B extra in "fees" would get us all the Government backing in the world we want. Unless we're not really serious about the whole thing and not really confident about the end result.
Or just have Jobs resurrected. This way we save $1B on the "fees" and he'll talk the Government officials into this for free. They'll think they get the best deal in the world once Steve is done talking to them and the Distortion Field is permanently present in the Government heads.
Re: Hyperloop
#255> Risk of derailment is also not to be taken lightly, as demonstrated by several recent fatal train accidents. Interesting. No comment on the potential outcome of a passenger-filled capsule being ejected from a burst tube on high pylons at 350mph.
Also, I wonder what HSR incidents he's referring to. The Spanish relatively low-speed human error crash? Systems like Japan's Shinkansen have never had a fatal accident, despite operating at the edge of technology for 50 years. I don't think a derailing accident is at all likely on a modern system like California's plan or the UK's HS2.
Re: Hyperloop
#256Earlier quoted context omitted.
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...
Just as an anecdote.. We had some friends from Orange County come visit us in SF this past weekend.
* OC -> SF -- Left at 3pm, took 9.5hrs to drive * SF -> OC -- Left at 9pm, took 7 hours to drive
There is random night construction as well as detours and traffic to worry about on I-5. Half an hour would be a no-brainer, even if it only went so far as downtown LA.
Re: Hyperloop
#257I thought it was just a few days ago that elon musk said that he "wished he had never mentioned the hyperloop as he doesn't have enough time to work on it" [sic].
When I heard the news about this announcement on the radio today, I thought that my local news station was just a week behind the times as usual. Apparently they were not?
Re: Hyperloop
#258I'll just leave this here:
http://jacquesmattheij.com/elon-musk-and-the-hyperloop
Looks like I nailed most of it. So, who is going to build a proof-of-concept scale model of this thing a few kilometers long?
Re: Hyperloop
#259Although Musk has said this idea stems from his frustrations in traveling through California, I wonder if he's contemplating something similar for transportation on Mars?
Re: Hyperloop
#260[deleted]