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The Pipe Dream: A Roundaloop?
21st-century ground transportation:
Envisioned by Elon Musk.
Traveling from Point A to Point B seems (and can literally be) pedestrian. In the modern world, there seem to be far too many detours, connecting flights, complications and mind-numbing traffic patterns to conceptualize a simplistic, easy-going path from Point A to Point B.
Then a big idea happened. And then that big idea was built and tested.
And what happens next?
Innovator Elon Musk founded The Boring Company, which is the firm that is building the Hyperloop (featured in the video above). While people won’t be lining up just yet to experience this futuristic form of transportation, the fact that a proof of concept has been achieved is a giant first step towards the reimagined American railroad. To be more precise, the reimagined American train and railroad system.
The Boring Company has essentially taken the archaic railroad system from 19th and 20th centuries and created a significantly faster 21st-century upgrade. Is it the right upgrade? Is the Hyperloop the next great innovative masterpiece in transportation we’ve been waiting for? Would you ride in the Hyperloop?
Fortunately, there’s a model (actually, a few models) to follow for judging the future progress and success of Hyperloop’s introduction to the American traveler, current and new:
Tesla.
Now, who is the co-founder and CEO of that innovative car company…?
Zooming Through the Looking Glass
The next several months could redefine the future of transportation in the 21st century.
The startup company Hyperloop Technologies — which takes its name from Elon Musk’s proposed invention but has no direct connection to him — announced today that it will build a test track for the ultra-fast transportation service in North Las Vegas, Nevada…The company plans to test its custom designed electric motor to speeds of up to 540 km/hour (about 335 mph) on a 1 km (about 0.62 miles) long track.
—, “The Hyperloop Will Begin Testing in Nevada in 2016”
Airfares continue to increase and flying attire and attitude have become far too casual, trains have limited rail systems and nobody wants to use (or at least admit) that they’ve traveled on a Greyhound bus. Like energy, alternatives to traveling from Point A to Point B are actively being explored. The Hyperloop is just the latest example that proves innovation is where the brightest future resides.
The consequence of living in a minute-to-minute (even second-to-second) society has undeniably reached the transportation sector. People crave immediacy.
Here is a video illustration of future travel that would break the (speed) limits as we know them today.
Ladies and gentlemen: The Hyperloop.
If the forthcoming tests during the first part of next year are positive for this Jetsons-like method of conveyance, the public’s reaction and inquiry will be aimed directly at Hyperloop’s team at 100 miles per hour.
Well, technically 335 miles per hour.