The Hyperloop: An Introduction

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 | Jon Foster

Tesla Motors CEO and co-founder Elon Musk is at it again, this time with another bold new plan to revolutionize the way we travel. The “Hyperloop,” as Musk calls it, is an innovative new way to drastically reduce travel times between major cities, states, and even countries. Described by Musk as the “fifth mode of transportation,” the Hyperloop relies on current high-speed rail technology, along with centuries-old pneumatic technology to effectively transport passengers from one destination to the next.

The concept, which Musk described as a "cross between a Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table," is still in its infancy, and likely won’t be ready for years. However, this still hasn’t stopped engineers and tech guru’s alike from proposing what such a system might look like.

Nevertheless, while we may not know exactly how it will work, we do know that the system will be fast, really fast. According to his own estimates, Musk expects that a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles will take about half an hour. Given the fact both cities are about 350 miles away from each other, we can assume that Musk’s Hyperloop will operate at speeds well over 700 miles per hour. To put this in some perspective, the current proposal for California’s high-speed rail network would cut the commute time between LA and San Fran to only two and a half hours, nearly 5 times slower than Musk’s proposal.

Interestingly enough, Musk is not the only one with a vested interest in this concept. ET3, a Colorado-based company, is also designing its own high-speed travel system. Appropriately named, the Evacuated Tube Transport system, or ETTS for short, the system follows similar principles of the Hyperloop. With magnetically levitated transport pods, a pneumatic tube system, and electric motors to generate linear movement, the ETTS concept utilizes many of the same concepts the Hyperloop does. However, unlike the Hyperloop, the ETT system is expected to be much faster. ET3 suggests average speeds of about 370 mph to a max speed of 4,000 mph. See the video below for a look at how the ETT system might work.

While it is unclear whether either of these systems will ever become reality, there is a very good possibility that they may. After Japan tested its first Mag-lev Bullet train last month, hitting speeds of up to 311 mph, it seems that the Hyperloop may be closer to reality than once expected. In placing a high-speed train inside a vacuum, the wind resistance drops to almost nothing, leaving the train to accelerate at yet uncharted speeds. Needless to say, we may all just have to wait till August to see what Musk will propose; in the meantime, it looks like planes are still the fastest means of transportation.