11-05-2013, 05:42 PM
The hyperloop doesn't really excite me that much. Space X and Tesla Motors do though. I also like some of the other stuff that he has done that Lissa mentioned.
But the hyperloop doesn't get rid of the issues that any other fixed route and mass transit system has. Yes, cars are most efficient on fixed routes too, but the nature of the vehicle means it's much simpler and cheaper to create the routes and you have much more control of when and where you travel.
Hyperloop is essentially really really high speed rail but using smaller trains. So it mitigates some of it, but you have to be cognizant of other capsules on the route you want, etc. It can buy you some time savings as a subway replacement system but I don't think it will be as much as some folks things. It still won't be completely free travel, it will provide more options on arrival departure, but it won't get rid of it all. It should allow better direct to destination with fewer stops travel, but again I don't anticipate it having single passenger capsules. In practice you'll still likely have standard routes, standard arrival and departure times stuff.
I'm much more interested in self driving cars. Sadly to really reap the benefits you need all the cars with some level of the self driving ability, but many of our interstates and major highways would be fine to travel at 100 - 120 MPH (some even more) if every car on the road was capable of being aware of all the other vehicles around it, the safety concerns that higher speeds create are mostly eliminated. Also if the car can drive itself you have the ability to limit a lot of the waste of travel time, and still let you move relatively quickly for "short trip" stuff within a populated area. Google of course has some pretty good working prototypes of this already that work with or without GPS systems (and you would have to be able to work without GPS for safety reasons). Safely eating while "driving" to work, or heck safely being able to sleep on the 200+ mile trip to visit family. You need to make a cross country trip that takes 8+ hours? Start out at 10pm and go to bed as the car drives, you'll probably have to wake up to put fuel in since range is still likely to be in the 300 - 600 miles that must vehicles fall in for a full tank of fuel. Sure it takes vehicle interior redesign for some of that to work, but it has big pay offs and lets people have full freedom of choice on travel times and routes.
But the hyperloop doesn't get rid of the issues that any other fixed route and mass transit system has. Yes, cars are most efficient on fixed routes too, but the nature of the vehicle means it's much simpler and cheaper to create the routes and you have much more control of when and where you travel.
Hyperloop is essentially really really high speed rail but using smaller trains. So it mitigates some of it, but you have to be cognizant of other capsules on the route you want, etc. It can buy you some time savings as a subway replacement system but I don't think it will be as much as some folks things. It still won't be completely free travel, it will provide more options on arrival departure, but it won't get rid of it all. It should allow better direct to destination with fewer stops travel, but again I don't anticipate it having single passenger capsules. In practice you'll still likely have standard routes, standard arrival and departure times stuff.
I'm much more interested in self driving cars. Sadly to really reap the benefits you need all the cars with some level of the self driving ability, but many of our interstates and major highways would be fine to travel at 100 - 120 MPH (some even more) if every car on the road was capable of being aware of all the other vehicles around it, the safety concerns that higher speeds create are mostly eliminated. Also if the car can drive itself you have the ability to limit a lot of the waste of travel time, and still let you move relatively quickly for "short trip" stuff within a populated area. Google of course has some pretty good working prototypes of this already that work with or without GPS systems (and you would have to be able to work without GPS for safety reasons). Safely eating while "driving" to work, or heck safely being able to sleep on the 200+ mile trip to visit family. You need to make a cross country trip that takes 8+ hours? Start out at 10pm and go to bed as the car drives, you'll probably have to wake up to put fuel in since range is still likely to be in the 300 - 600 miles that must vehicles fall in for a full tank of fuel. Sure it takes vehicle interior redesign for some of that to work, but it has big pay offs and lets people have full freedom of choice on travel times and routes.
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It's all just zeroes and ones and duct tape in the end.
It's all just zeroes and ones and duct tape in the end.