Hyperloop
Hyperloop is a brand new method of transport brought forth by the entrepreneur & billionaire. In the broader term, it is a 5th mode of transport. In the past we have been using cars, trains, boats, planes & technically rockets etc. The hyperloop is a high speed transport system in which passengers sit in a pressurized capsule that rides on a cushion of air. The capsule operates in a sealed near vacuum environment. The propulsion system is still to be chosen from a number of options, 2 of which are magnetic levitation or the air pressure similar to that of air hockey table. It’s just a low pressure tube with a pot in it that runs on an air bearings on air skis with an air compressed on the front which takes the high pressure air build up on the nose & pumping through the air skis.
The system is proposed to travel at an average speed of 900 kilometers an hour. The top speed is at 1220 kilometers now.
The idea of hyperloop
So how did the idea come about? Well back in 2012, Elon Musk was at a Pando daily event in Santa Monica California [US]. There he announced to the world about the 5th mode of transport. Elon states in another interview that this initial concept came to him when he was stuck in LA traffic which cause him to be 1 hour late for a meeting.
Theoretically the pods can’t crash. It is much cheaper to build about 1/10 of the cost of the proposed California high speed railway system. In 30 minutes, you can travel from downtown LA to downtown San Francisco. As it is more economically viable to use a supersonic jet. It’s also extremely energy efficient, due to solar power utilization. In fact the hyperloop can generate more power than it consumes as a closed system. Moreover it can also store power so that it would run 24/7 without using batteries. So the whole thing actually act as a power generator.
Some thoughts from the critics – They say that the experience could be frightening because passengers would be in a narrow sealed windowless capsule inside a sealed tunnel. The fast acceleration & noisy vibration could cause motion sickness. It may also have to deal with equipment malfunction, accidents & emergency evacuations. In additions to this the designs could also change in the future for better.
Hyperloop Tesla
Elon Musk revolutionary transit system is providing to be the future of travel. From its tube track design, it’s easy to assume that the hyperloop would operate like a vacuum tubes at bank drive thrus or old mail rooms systems. However it has 4 key features that set it apart from these vacuum tubes & high speed train tracks. The passenger capsule aren’t propelled by air pressure like in vacuum tubes. But by electromagnetic motors similar to one features in Tesla cars & rail guns.
It’s aimed to travel at a top speed of 760 miles per hour rocketing between Los Angeles to San Francisco & around half hour. The tubes track do have the vacuum but they are not completely free of air, instead they have low pressure air inside of them. The most thing moving through air tubes will end up compressing the air in front thus creating a cushion of air that the object down. But the hyperloop feature a compressor fan in the front of the capsule. The compressor fan can redirect air to the back of the capsule for additional propulsion. But mostly the air is sent to the air bearings. Their key like paddles that levitate the capsule above the surface of the tube to reduce friction.
The tube track is design to be immune to weather & earthquakes. It’s also designed to be self powering & unobstructed. The pillars raising the tubes above the ground have a small footprint & can sway in the case of an earthquake. Each of the tube section can move around flexibly if the terrain ships because there isn’t a constant track that the capsules rely on & solar panels on the top of the track supply power to the periodic motors. With these innovations & a completely automated departure system Elon musk dream of the hyperloop being the fastest, safest & most convenient form of travel in the world.
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