From what it is, to what it could mean, to whether it will help make transportation greater
across the world, allow us to ask the question of whether the Hyperloop is going to be the
future of transportation technology!
8.
An Overview of Hyperloop For those that don't exactly know what Hyperloop
is, allow us to give you an overview explanation of it.
The idea was brought forth (in modern times at least) back in 2013 by the one and only
Elon Musk, the man behind SpaceX and the many innovations of the Tesla car company.
He had an idea for a train system that would work within the confines of a pneumatic tube
and be a low pressure system powered by magnets.
While that sounds like a lot of forces at work just to go and move a train, there is
an upside.
According to Elon, if this was to be made and worked along the parameters that he and
others envision, it would make it so that the train could go...about 760 miles per hour.
Which for the record is TWICE as fast as the fastest trains in the world today (which are
the maglev trains found in places like Japan).
Now, you might be thinking, "well that's a great idea in theory, but no doubt there has
to be a lot of innovation to try and make it work, right?"
Well...no, actually.
In fact, the irony of the Hyperloop is that Elon is just taking certain older inventions
and bringing them together to do something new.
As noted, we have Maglev trains which instill levitation on the train itself and propel
it via magnetism.
And pneumatic tubes are used all over the world, including in places like your local
bank.
So the concept is actually one that is doable right now, and many are noting that:
"Hyperloop is novel and interesting, and at the same time a very old idea," Molly Wright
Steenson, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who studies technology, communications and
design, told CNN Business.
"We still face a lot of the problems we faced in 19th century.
We're trying to get people very quickly across time and space, and we still have to contend
with traffic."
And here's another irony for you to ponder...
7.
The First Hyperloop Hyperloop companies won't be the first to
try an underground transportation system in a sealed tube.
In 1867, the inventor Alfred Ely Beach wanted to build an underground train system in New
York City that relied on pneumatic tubes.
But he abandoned the system and instead focused on the easier task of moving mail rather than
people, because New York politician Boss Tweed opposed the plan according to a paper by former
US Postal Service inspector Robert A Cohen.
While at first this may seem like a deterrent to the plan of the modern-day Hyperloop, it's
actually proof that many have thought of it before.
Plus, unlike in the 1800s, there is a lot more technology that can be used to try and
make this work on a grander scale.
There's no way back then that they could've gotten full trains going 760 miles per hour.
But nowadays?
It might be more likely than you think.
But that in turn raises a question that many are having right now in regards to the Hyperloop
question: 6.
Why Do We Need Them?
Sure, from an aesthetic level the idea of a sci-fi train seems interesting.
Not to mention being able to go over 700 miles per hour must be a thrill to say and talk
about, but the question here is why do we need them at all?
Is going that fast really a need in the world we have right now?
The answer to that is ironically a bit more complicated than you might think.
Mainly, there is almost always a desire from humanity to go faster and farther than ever
before.
Which is being proven all the time with car building and the SpaceX program trying to
get to Mars in the next 5 years or so (among others, of course
Getting to somewhere faster is something humanity always wants because it means we save time.
Why do a one-hour train ride when you can do it in 20 minutes?
That's 40 minutes you didn't have before to go and do whatever you want.
Add that to the train ride back and that's an hour and twenty minutes that you have to
enjoy yourself.
Getting to and from places faster and without issue is always a goal of humanity.
However, the other element of this is clean energy.
Because right now, there is a major movement to try and get cars, planes, trains, semi-trucks
and more to run on clean energy sources so that pollution can be curtailed.
Ironically, Elon Musk is one of the heads of this via Tesla, as they're making all-electric
cars.
While trains are nice and rugged, they're also major polluters, ones that fill the air
with their various billows of smoke as they go along.
Yes, it's not as bad as before but they're still a thing to be concerned about.
With the Hyperloop, it would be air pressure and magnetism making it all happen, which
is 100% clean.
The Maglev trains in Japan have proven that this can work as they're fast and clean.
The Hyperloop is an extension of that, and thus many people are considering it to be
something not just worth exploring, but trying to get made.
And believe it or not, many people are working on it right now.
But before we get into that be sure to like or dislike the video and subscribe to the
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5.
Who Is Making The Hyperloop?
So now that you have a loose understanding of the Hyperloop, let's ask the question of,
"Who is working on this right now?"
The first entrant is one we've talked about a lot in this script, Elon Musk.
He's been trying for many years to go and get this up and running.
He's been doing tests and is aiming to get another one done soon.
But it's not just Elon Musk, Virgin Hyperloop (founded by Shervin Pishevar, Josh Giegel
and Brogan BamBrogan) has not only been working on it as well, but they're actually the first
company to actual go and test the Hyperloop with actual passengers on it.
They haven't reached the 760 miles per hour that Elon Musk thinks is possible but this
is just one step on a very long journey if you will.
As if that wasn't enough, there is international interest in this, with Korea working on a
Hyperloop and having tested a scale model that reached over 600 miles per hour in their
test (which is still well above the fastest train in the world today).
At first, it might seem that having so many companies working on the Hyperloop would prove
that it's not functional or worth investing in right now.
But the opposite is true.
With all of these companies working on it in their own ways and with their own tests
that can help ensure that the "bugs are worked out" if you will and we can learn more from
their various tests.
Because that's the thing with the Hyperloop, while in theory it sounds like a great thing,
there are a lot of questions about whether it'll actually work and be something to truly
invest in.
4.
The Questions and Problems When it comes to new technologies, especially
ones that go and try and change the system in their own way, there is always going to
be questions about whether it's "worth it" to go forward with them.
With the Hyperloop there are many questions and cost concerns.
Easily the biggest ones is that this wouldn't be as simple as building a new track across
America and other countries.
Laying track can be easy if done efficiently and if the people know how to build it.
But with the Hyperloop you're having to build two different kinds of tracks.
First, you'll have to do the Maglev tracks (which many people have noted do cost more
to make over the standard steel railings) and THEN...you have to make the pressure tube.
After all, the tube has to not just be around the train, it has to be pressurized to ensure
that the train can reach the speeds that are promised.
And while Elon, Korea, and Virgin Hyperloop have done tests in certain ways their results
aren't enough to promise that this technology is 100% worth it at the present time.
Plus, if the Hyperloop were to become out new mode of train transportation, that would
mean upending existing lines and figuring out how to put in the Hyperloop tracks and
tubes in things like cities, countrysides, mountain areas, around lakes potentially and
so on and so forth.
That raises a lot of cost questions and efficiency questions.
Not to mention, it'll be time consuming, and as humanity has shown in the past, if something
is going to take a long time to make...they'll hesitate doing it.
As the automotive and oil companies will tell you.
But there is hope.
3.
Cost Reductions As noted, one of the main people working on
the Hyperloop technology is Virgin.
And they've done tests and have been able to do some calculations as to how good these
things are.
In a report by CNN, Virgin didn't give away its full numbers, but, it noted cost savings
in certain situations, such as tunneling under a busy street and making tight turns.
The company said its tunnels are about half the surface area of high-speed rail tunnels,
reducing costs.
Virgin Hyperloop also expects cost savings as it can meet real-time demand rather than
rely on traditional timetables.
The company said it won't pay to transport empty seats, as can happen with trains.
Which again, will reduce costs.
But that's not all.
Virgin Hyperloop will be capable of climbing 10% grades at speeds of 224 mph, which co-founder
Josh Giegel described in an email as a more than 6x improvement over high-speed rail.
"A train would be forced to go around the obstacle, adding kilometers of track to the
alignment.
Hyperloop could simply go straight over, saving substantial material costs," Giegel said.
Another issue that was brought up was the concept of getting enough people on board
the Hyperloop to cover costs as typically these trains take fewer passengers.
But, as Virgin notes, because of its speeds and how they can do the Hyperloop overall
they'll be able to transport more people in less time BECAUSE of their operations.
So while it may cost a fortune to make and criss-cross countries with, it could very
well be an example of spending money now...but saving money later.
2.
When Can A Full One Be Developed?
That is the question, isn't it?
Because in truth, if we are to truly test the validity of the Hyperloop train we need
to see one go from one place to another and determine just how viable it is.
Because even today, it is an unproven technology in certain aspects, and none have reached
the 760 MPH that Elon Musk has promised...yet.
But there are plans to make it happen.
Elon Musk was aiming to have one up in 2020 but obviously things got a bit delayed due
to the global pandemic.
However, more tests and trials have been ordered by him and other parties so this is hardly
a dead project, far from it.
However, to estimate when a full one might be made?
That would likely be about 1 year, maybe 2 depending on how long the track is.
Who will make it first?
Tough to say, but if it does happen it could change everything.
1.
The Future Should Elon, Virgin, or another market be
able to prove the validity of the Hyperloop we could well and truly be looking at the
next stage of human transportation, and material transportation.
Hyperloops could work underwater if built the right way and that could fast track travel
over oceans without much issue.
Not to mention the wait time for key materials could be drastically cut and thus projects
could be made in a fraction of the time.
But as noted, there are hurdles, and there are even more than we named.
But that doesn't mean it should be stopped, that just means discussions need to be had
so that more thought can be put into this and hopefully...a better future is made.
What part of the Hyperloop excites you the most?
Do you think this is the future of transportation?
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