hyperloop
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What's an analogous transportation invention based on how revolutionary it is? Commercial flight?
Is this technology ready for production, would it survive the Shark Tank?
Is this technology ready for production, would it survive the Shark Tank?
Tuco
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At the moment a good comparison would be flying cars. Not saying it won't work, just that it hasn't revolutionized or evolved anything yet.
Haast
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I would say it's an evolutionary leap in the train category. Like going from a diesel locomotive to a 250+ mph bullet train.
However, it adds additional features that make it more enticing. It takes plane speeds with no ascent/descent penalty, departure schedule on par with city rail, sustainable power (essentially a transportation first) and rolls them all together. If tickets are around $100 or less round trip, it would make short-hop plane flights between adjacent metros obsolete.
If it works, I would put it on par with an aerospace company coming up with a boomless supersonic passenger jet that is as fuel efficient (or better) than current planes. Which I don't think is possible with current tech (mainly the fuel efficiency part).
The basic premise works, but he cost estimate for this is so unbelievably comical it hurts. Off by a factor of 10 at least. Maybe more.
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Goonsquad Officer
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I haven't read very deeply into this, but how are they going to handle friction on the tube?
Rocketing by super fast? are they going to burn wheels? don't (small scale ones like at the bank) squeak by on rubber? i can't imagine that would work on a large scale.
I'm also suspicious that solar would be able to power the thing.
I support new modes of transport tho if they aren't powered with pixie dust.
Rocketing by super fast? are they going to burn wheels? don't (small scale ones like at the bank) squeak by on rubber? i can't imagine that would work on a large scale.
I'm also suspicious that solar would be able to power the thing.
I support new modes of transport tho if they aren't powered with pixie dust.
'Air bearings'. They have a jet engine up front to compress air which is then forced downwards though skis which levitates the pod over the tube.
The magnets accelerate/decelerate the pod.
The magnets accelerate/decelerate the pod.
Tuco
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To me the exciting thing is that if they can make a usable first version of this it's possible to iterate on it and make continuously faster versions. With air travel you can make it faster until you're flying around in an SR71, but if you can control the air density things open up.
Like others I'm still extremely skeptical of the cost and the ability to maintain the air bearings.
Famm
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efault
Haast
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Not sure where people are getting that the tube is concrete. It's supposed to be steel so that you could build the tube in sections off-site and weld it together for the partial-vacuum. Am I the only one who read the white paper?
Tuco
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Szlia
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Last time I took a train and plane I could move around, see outside, go to the toilets, go the restaurant car or get in flight food. Last time I took a car, I could see outside, go where I wanted to go, stop when I wanted to stop. The tiny portion of japanese people who are used to capsule hotels are probably fine with this mean of transportation, but heh...
Eomer
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Right, because everyone was used to looking out an airplane window at 35,000 feet prior to the advent of jet travel. I'm not really getting your point here. It's different, sure. But that's kind of the point. Cost aside it seems like a great idea, but cost is what's going to make or break it. Not whether or not some people have irrational, unjustifiable fears.
Falstaff
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So hyperloop is supposed to replace your own car now? I thought you could still drive whenever you wanted to wherever you wanted and stop just to piss on the side of the road if you felt like it.