Scantlings

Here's a video of the winning run in the HyperLoop contest. 201 MPH from the German Team. They went from Zero to 201 MPH and back to Zero in 0.8 miles. Crazy Gs!!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0AlM8ctykQ[/youtube]

Awesome technology. Wonder if it will ever get into commercial use. Maybe Musk can sell it to Bezos to restock warehouses.

I'm sure the tech will find a user, just wonder where and when. The vaunted 30 minute D.C.-NYC run would have to be without stops which either means small cars running often from specific locations or a larger train with a limited schedule. As it is, the Acela is much more expensive than the regional service but only 15 minutes faster as it still has multiple (although fewer) stops.

TGV is quick because it is both an express service and fast. Concord failed because folks would not pay the price for a 3 hour transatlantic flight in cramped seats.

LarryHoward wrote:As it is, the Acela is much more expensive than the regional service but only 15 minutes faster as it still has multiple (although fewer) stops.

Slightly lower skunge factor, better ride, marginally quieter, but the seats are still unbearable. Amazingly, the food and drink in 1st Class is OK. I treat myself to a regular Acela ticket when it's cheap, like on Saturday after 1900. Damn government won't buy Acela any more.

One place this tech really makes sense, and a place that the CA state government is targeting with high-speed rail, is between the relatively inexpensive towns of the central valley and the job-rich areas of Silicon Valley. Currently, it's a two-hour drive each way, to travel about 30-40 miles. If Elon could using his Boring company to drill through the hills between Tracey, Fresno, and Stockton and deliver workers to Silicon Valley at 200 MPH the service would be packed.

It appears that building some sort of high-speed interconnect for workers is a LOT less expensive than either building thousands of new housing units (and all their attendant infrastructure) or moving the companies into the central valley (which a lot of the current workers would resist).

BeauV wrote:One place this tech really makes sense, and a place that the CA state government is targeting with high-speed rail, is between the relatively inexpensive towns of the central valley and the job-rich areas of Silicon Valley. Currently, it's a two-hour drive each way, to travel about 30-40 miles. If Elon could using his Boring company to drill through the hills between Tracey, Fresno, and Stockton and deliver workers to Silicon Valley at 200 MPH the service would be packed.

It appears that building some sort of high-speed interconnect for workers is a LOT less expensive than either building thousands of new housing units (and all their attendant infrastructure) or moving the companies into the central valley (which a lot of the current workers would resist).

Which will all depend on the pricing. If subsidized as infrastructure and priced so that it is a commuter line, then I can see it. If priced as a premium service, not so much.

Then there is that small seismic issue.

LarryHoward wrote:

BeauV wrote:One place this tech really makes sense, and a place that the CA state government is targeting with high-speed rail, is between the relatively inexpensive towns of the central valley and the job-rich areas of Silicon Valley. Currently, it's a two-hour drive each way, to travel about 30-40 miles. If Elon could using his Boring company to drill through the hills between Tracey, Fresno, and Stockton and deliver workers to Silicon Valley at 200 MPH the service would be packed.

It appears that building some sort of high-speed interconnect for workers is a LOT less expensive than either building thousands of new housing units (and all their attendant infrastructure) or moving the companies into the central valley (which a lot of the current workers would resist).

Which will all depend on the pricing. If subsidized as infrastructure and priced so that it is a commuter line, then I can see it. If priced as a premium service, not so much.

Then there is that small seismic issue.

I can see a sudden 6" offset in the rail negatively impacting the quality of the ride.

LarryHoward wrote:

BeauV wrote:One place this tech really makes sense, and a place that the CA state government is targeting with high-speed rail, is between the relatively inexpensive towns of the central valley and the job-rich areas of Silicon Valley. Currently, it's a two-hour drive each way, to travel about 30-40 miles. If Elon could using his Boring company to drill through the hills between Tracey, Fresno, and Stockton and deliver workers to Silicon Valley at 200 MPH the service would be packed.

It appears that building some sort of high-speed interconnect for workers is a LOT less expensive than either building thousands of new housing units (and all their attendant infrastructure) or moving the companies into the central valley (which a lot of the current workers would resist).

Which will all depend on the pricing. If subsidized as infrastructure and priced so that it is a commuter line, then I can see it. If priced as a premium service, not so much.

Then there is that small seismic issue.

Yes, the earth-wobbles we get are an issue, especially if you're in a tube doing 200 MPH!!!

I haven't calculated the probability of getting caught in the tube, but it's got to be infinitesimal. After all, you're going 200 MPH which means the trip lasts no more than 15 minutes. Repairing the tube after an earthquake is a real issue and is one of the reasons that folks have argued for a tube built on the surface. You could suspend it with enough freedom of movement to let it survive a big shake. But, then you have to go over hills and valleys, the up and down motion at 200 MPH can get pretty vomit inducing.