Elon Musk has managed to build a waiting list of people hoping to get into his Tesla Model S, but its premium price has limited access to the luxury electric sedan. Will the masses line up for a ride on Musk’s latest project, the $10 billion Hyperloop? In a blog post published today, Musk unveiled his vision for a high-speed transit system for near-supersonic city-to-city commutes. It looks something like this:
An early prototype of the Hyperloop has already been created. pic.twitter.com/NhjeqcsANO
— Dave Pell (@davepell) August 12, 2013
No, wait. It looks like this.
This is what I thought of when hearing about the Hyperloop pic.twitter.com/0DQm7CQ3iy
— Justin Kruger (@UbiJustin) August 12, 2013
https://twitter.com/blairerickson/status/367020481267785728
Actually, those aren’t that far off. This concept sketch is the real deal, at least as it exists in Musk’s head. And yes, it does travel in a pneumatic tube.
.@ElonMusk reveals the alpha design for his Hyperloop Transport System: http://t.co/WgOyfgClxj / pic.twitter.com/OjzH46J5JC
— Collaborative Fund (@collabfund) August 12, 2013
Here's what we learned about the alpha version of Hyperloop today @Gizmodohttp://t.co/PFBn5Sv3Q1 pic.twitter.com/ttCd6LvO9H
— Revision3 (@Revision3) August 12, 2013
Gizmodo reports that hypothetically, the Hyperloop could carry passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in about 30 minutes and cost a tenth of the estimated $70 billion cost of a similar high-speed rail line. But who wants to ride on something described as “a cross between a rail gun, the Concord, and an air hockey table”?
Recommended
I hereby volunteer to be in the first seat on the #Hyperloop
— Jonathan Stelzer (@JonathanStelzer) August 12, 2013
No, I wouldn't ride Space Mountain from DC to NYC. #hyperloop
— Shira T. Center (@shiracenter) August 12, 2013
Well, I for one look forward to traveling Mach .9 in a small windowless capsule at 0.5 Gs. #terrifying…ly efficient? #hyperloop @elonmusk
— Philippe Dauman Jr. (@pdauman) August 12, 2013
Ok so it's actually a giant ice luge from Quebec to NYC. You buy tickets with bitcoins. Solar powered, obvi. #hyperloop
— Super Display Book (@StratosTrades) August 12, 2013
Does the #HyperLoop have a Hyperdrinkcart so you can drink just as much as you would on a cross country flight?
— John Melloy (@JohnMelloy) August 12, 2013
http://twitter.com/moorehn/status/367028115240796162
Yes, let's connect rich urban centers that the middle class are already priced out of with state subsidized luxury transport. #hyperloop
— ʀᴏʙᴛᴇʀʀɪɴ (@RobTerrin) August 12, 2013
https://twitter.com/RyanTiedgen/status/367056828565176321
The real world context for #hyperloop includes planning requirements, political opposition, regulatory hurdles, finance needs+civic entropy.
— Alex Steffen (@AlexSteffen) August 12, 2013
Listen, the #Hyperloop is a lovely gedankenexperiment, but don't imagine it will get funded, zoned, permitted or built before the sun cools
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) August 12, 2013
Well, sir, there's nothing on earth
Like a genuine,
Bona fide,
Electrified,
Six-car
Hyperloop pic.twitter.com/1McT84FB2a— Steve Portigal ???? (@steveportigal) August 12, 2013
This Hyperloop is just so @PopMech December 1940. pic.twitter.com/A21kCcm9vp
— Harry Sawyers (@harrysawyers) August 12, 2013
Join the conversation as a VIP Member