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Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

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Re: Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

#61

Post by ropman76 »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #9

Sigh "The 5-mile test track is estimated to cost about $100 million, which Hyperloop Transportation Technologies hopes to pay for with its initial public offering (IPO) later this year, according to Navigant's blog." Run away, run far far away. They might as well do a kickstarter. Seriously, what sort of "business" is a 5 mile test track? Lets say you charged $25 for a "5 minute ride on the hyperloop!" and you got 8…

I want this to succeed. I want to engineering team(s) to crush all the issues that people have raised here and elsewhere. That being said most cutting edge engineering projects like this don't make money for a very long time and I wouldn't invest any money I want to see a return on.

Re: Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

#62

Post by Someone1234 »

huuu wrote: post #18

* Invent something totaly new * Test it on a small scale * Get a lot of negative comments on HN Com'on people. This might be the transportation of the future!

As opposed to Elon Musk being a sacred cow who we cannot criticise at all without being attacked/downmodded?

The Hyperloop, to put it generously, has a lot of "unanswered questions" and practical limitations. Just considering the safety (and escape) of this thing takes you into areas that raise legitimate concern.

I'm not going to discount it completely with aircraft still around and failing as badly as they fail, it might be workable, I just want to see some figures on how much it will cost Vs. Maglev (a technology already deemed too expensive to deploy on the medium to large scale), and more so how much it will cost to make it safe.

Would I love to go across the continental US in a few hours? Heck yeah. Will I be able to afford it if it has Concord's ticket price? Likely not, I'll fly.

Re: Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

#63

Post by the_falcon »

huuu wrote: post #18

* Invent something totaly new * Test it on a small scale * Get a lot of negative comments on HN Com'on people. This might be the transportation of the future!

This isn't Elon Musks project, this is "Hyperloop Transportation Technology" backed by a little PR Firm and a Kickstarter Knockoff

Re: Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

#64

Post by the_falcon »

sixQuarks wrote: post #54

When the US government literally loses track of $100 million in cash, no one blinks an eye. When a guy who has built an electric car company AND a space rocket company proposes a revolutionary transportation alternative and has people excited enough to spend $100 million on it, people go nuts. I can't believe how small-minded some people are.

From the article "Separately, Musk has said he plans to build his own 5-mile test track, likely in Texas, for companies and students to test out potential Hyperloop designs."

Re: Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

#65

Post by msandford »

seanflyon wrote: post #45
Retric wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If their test has a station every X feet, then the track needs to follow that same rule. Granted, if they suggest you can build a test track station every X feet and the full scale model over 10x feet then that's an issue with their model. But, again it does not get worse due to the total number of stations just the ratio of stations to track. Anyway, you don't need active dampening to keep the structure intact, but…

The design only calls for one station at each end. Many people have said that the best way to deal with thermal expansion is to let the ends (at the 2 stations) move ~500 feet at each end. The alternative is expansion joint every so often along the tube.

If you do that, though, then all of your support structures the whole way through need to allow the tube to move inside of them. The tube is supposed to be supported every 100 feet or so (if I remember correctly) so that means that the last pylon has to be at least 500 feet from the station and that the tube has to be able to slide inside the support.

I suspect that you'd see a lot of wear on the tube that's sliding over the pylon supports as it might go through at least one if not several heating and cooling cycles daily. I could see two cycles if you've got side heating after dawn, midday shade under the solar panels, and then late afternoon heating after the solar panels stop casting a shadow over the tube. You might get another cycle if you have two parallel tubes with two parallel lines of solar panels above them.

Re: Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

#66

Post by Animats »

They have a web site.[1] They claim to be hiring. They claim to have funding. The web site looks like someone loaded up the generic cool new startup template and stuck in some concept art in the indicated places. There's no useful information about the technology or the business.

The big problem with this is not the technology. It's land acquisition. As with high speed rail, you need a right of way that's straight or has very large radius turns. There are sections of I-5 that are straight enough, but high-speed travel between Bakersfield and Tracy isn't that useful. Tunnels can help, but are not cheap.

China is building high speed rail through urban areas on pylons. As with most elevated rail, the reality is much wider and more heavily built than the concept art. (China's maglev is a one-off demo; China's high speed rail system is huge.)

[1] http://hyperlooptech.com/

Re: Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

#67

Post by rhino369 »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #9

Sigh "The 5-mile test track is estimated to cost about $100 million, which Hyperloop Transportation Technologies hopes to pay for with its initial public offering (IPO) later this year, according to Navigant's blog." Run away, run far far away. They might as well do a kickstarter. Seriously, what sort of "business" is a 5 mile test track? Lets say you charged $25 for a "5 minute ride on the hyperloop!" and you got 8…

Presumably for the IP and institutional knowledge that is generated by actually designing a working prototype. Then HTT could propose actually building one with them running the project.

I doubt it will work, but it's not a stupid plan.

Re: Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

#69

Post by devindotcom »

joelrunyon wrote: post #68

Why would they build this in California? Why not pick a place in pretty much ANY other place in the US that has demonstrably cheaper land.

I was thinking it makes sense in that California, sort of following I-5, is where the Hyperloop would supposedly go... but no. There's no reason to construct a proof of concept track there. Go buy some flats in the middle of nowhere and get a working prototype going first.

Re: Hyperloop Gets Test Track in California

#70

Post by Igglyboo »

Animats wrote: post #66

They have a web site.[1] They claim to be hiring. They claim to have funding. The web site looks like someone loaded up the generic cool new startup template and stuck in some concept art in the indicated places. There's no useful information about the technology or the business. The big problem with this is not the technology. It's land acquisition. As with high speed rail, you need a right of way that's straight or…

Their logo looks extremely similar to the Visual Studio 2010 logo.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1LB4PjiDdgU/Ur_tPvwj5HI/AAAAAAAAAo...

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