Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

201–210 of 517 posts

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#201

Post by karmapolic »

Brakenshire wrote: post #188
jaredhansen wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of all the problems facing construction of "viable high speed rail" in the US (they already exist in many other places), I don't think Hyperloop competition is among ... the top 50. Practically anything could be "a clever political ploy", but where's the evidence for this? Any in the absence of such evidence, why speculate? Just as a thought experiment, could HN user daemin's comments be part of a clever ploy to inve…

We're just building a new major high speed line in the UK, and you'd be surprised how often you hear people say that it shouldn't be built because the technology will be superseded by the hyperloop, or autonomous cars, or whichever. It's one of the major talking points, even if it isn't one of the major blocks.

its things like these which make it seem like a clever ploy. However cool a technology hyperloop seems like. it is nothing more than a research project with a great marketing stunt.

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#202

Post by andruby »

loceng wrote: post #159
kumarski wrote: post #8

Something I wrote a while ago.... w/ back of the napkin calculations....... Why I wouldn’t invest a money into Hyperloop - Stabilizing a single fault line risk pylon is more than $250K. - How many million are needed for vacuum pumps to evacuate 100+ million cubic feet of of pipe to 100 Pa? - Hot air discharge needs to go somewhere. For every 1 bar pressure, you need ~200 to ~400 cubic meters of volume which is larger…

People often, rightfully so, confuse the misappropriated name of Hyperloop One with Elon's Hyperloop idea, his of which I believe does have sound economics and certainly its pro list outweighs Hyperloop One's technology.

Could you point out the differences in both technological and economical approaches?

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#203

Post by jankotek »

daemin wrote: post #165

Just as a thought experiment, could the promotion of these "hyperloop" projects be a clever political ploy to misdirect/divert attention and prevent a viable high speed rail network from being built? Elon's main business is electric cars and (one of) Branson's is airlines. So a reasonable competitor to both is fast and cheap(er) public transport along a major travel corridor in the USA. This means that by promoting t…

There is some public support for high speed trains?

Hyperloop at least started a discussion. Once it fails, there might be some actual public support.

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#204

Post by jccooper »

mrguyorama wrote: post #154
nkoren wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This kind of Hyperloop criticism is commonplace, but strikes me as intellectually lazy. Did you read Robotbeat's link? Particularly with respect to to the MNLC Bellows Expansion Joint. > 1) will hold a vacuum Plain wrong. > 2) are available in the 3+ meter diameter that the hyperloop requires This is a simple manufacturing problem, although calling a "problem" seems like an overstatement. Obviously not everything to…

HyperLoop does NOT run on an air cushion (remember, the entire tube is supposed to be nearly evacuated!), but instead floats on a maglev track. He's also missing another requirement: 5) The entire track, including any possible expansion components, valves, inspection hatches, etc etc etc have to be at least mildly tolerant to intentional or accidental damage. Running into a sudden wall of air at 700mph is a good way…

That depends on the design. In Elon's original paper hyperloop the vehicles have an air bearing.

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#205

Post by pstuart »

daemin wrote: post #182
rando444 wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a good thought experiment, and not without precedent.. however the main problem holding high-speed rail back in the United States is that freight trains have priority over passenger trains. Without changing this, high-speed rail in the US will never be a reality without building an entirely separate rail network.

Isn't that because the freight companies are the ones that actually built, own, and operate the tracks? If Amtrak or another passenger company owned the tracks, their trains would get priority.

On land gifted to them by the government.

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#206

Post by GuB-42 »

rando444 wrote: post #178
daemin wrote: post #165

Just as a thought experiment, could the promotion of these "hyperloop" projects be a clever political ploy to misdirect/divert attention and prevent a viable high speed rail network from being built? Elon's main business is electric cars and (one of) Branson's is airlines. So a reasonable competitor to both is fast and cheap(er) public transport along a major travel corridor in the USA. This means that by promoting t…

It's a good thought experiment, and not without precedent.. however the main problem holding high-speed rail back in the United States is that freight trains have priority over passenger trains. Without changing this, high-speed rail in the US will never be a reality without building an entirely separate rail network.

Are they?

AFAIK, passenger trains have priority. However, if the passenger company rents a specific timeslot from the railway and isn't on time, it isn't surprising if there is traffic along the way.

And high speed trains usually require dedicated tracks to operate at full speed anyways.

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#207

Post by microcolonel »

daemin wrote: post #165

Just as a thought experiment, could the promotion of these "hyperloop" projects be a clever political ploy to misdirect/divert attention and prevent a viable high speed rail network from being built? Elon's main business is electric cars and (one of) Branson's is airlines. So a reasonable competitor to both is fast and cheap(er) public transport along a major travel corridor in the USA. This means that by promoting t…

I think it would be a good idea to make sure the California "high speed" rail program is never funded. It is a terrible idea. As it stands, it would be as slow as conventional rail, redundant with AmTrak, and the most expensive rail line ever built. It would be absolutely devastating for the government's relationship with at least tens of thousands of land owners, hundreds of thousands of home owners, who would see depreciation or outright loss of use of their land (which may hold sentimental or historic value not accounted for, or impossible to account for, in eminent domain assessments).

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#208

Post by buckminster »

corpMaverick wrote: post #114
kumarski wrote: post #8

Something I wrote a while ago.... w/ back of the napkin calculations....... Why I wouldn’t invest a money into Hyperloop - Stabilizing a single fault line risk pylon is more than $250K. - How many million are needed for vacuum pumps to evacuate 100+ million cubic feet of of pipe to 100 Pa? - Hot air discharge needs to go somewhere. For every 1 bar pressure, you need ~200 to ~400 cubic meters of volume which is larger…

Assuming your are correct and Branson knows it because he hired good engineering advisers. Why would Branson get involved ? - It is a cool project he wants to be part of and he is willing to pay to see. (I would probably do that) - The benefit is not to reach the goal but all the technology that will be invented trying to reach the goal.

Branson's business model is selling the right to use the Virgin brand to other companies. The article doesn't say he made an investment. It is rather more likely that they paid him.

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#209

Post by ep103 »

cjbillington wrote: post #109
lisper wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There can be absorption points along the track Sure, but these have to hold a vacuum. No one has figured out a way to do that.

I work in a lab with vacuum systems that get heated and cooled and we just have segments of flexible bellows like this: http://www.pchemlabs.com/subcatagoryb.asp?pid=flexible-bello... Not sure if the same thing will work at larger scales, but I'm not sure its a fundamental problem.

Not exactly like that, but yeah, the same sort of idea I'm sure would work.

Re: Hyperloop One Becomes ‘Virgin Hyperloop One’

#210

Post by [deleted] »

daemin wrote: post #165

Just as a thought experiment, could the promotion of these "hyperloop" projects be a clever political ploy to misdirect/divert attention and prevent a viable high speed rail network from being built? Elon's main business is electric cars and (one of) Branson's is airlines. So a reasonable competitor to both is fast and cheap(er) public transport along a major travel corridor in the USA. This means that by promoting t…

[deleted]
Post reply on HN