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quaint

(3,550 posts)
Sat Nov 5, 2022, 02:44 PM Nov 2022

Elon Musk's Hyperloop prototype tube is gone. What does it mean for his tunneling dream?

LATimes
Six years ago, SpaceX installed an above-ground tube in front of its Hawthorne headquarters, drawing excitement and intrigue from around the city about Chief Executive Elon Musk’s latest experiment.

At annual competitions, engineers and students from across the globe sought to develop and test Musk’s proposed Hyperloop transportation technology, which promised to hurl passengers through tunnels in levitating, autonomous electric pods at more than 600 mph, cutting a trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco to 35 minutes.

Today, there is no Hyperloop system in service. And after sitting idle for several years, the tube on Jack Northrop Avenue — which drew complaints about road and pedestrian access, as well as questions of its purpose — has been removed, at the city’s request.

It remains unclear whether SpaceX or Musk’s tunneling venture, Boring Co., are continuing to develop the Hyperloop technology. Bloomberg, which first reported the Hawthorne tube’s removal this week, called it “symbolic of a larger retreat” and said the Hyperloop project “has been indefinitely shelved.”

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Elon Musk's Hyperloop prototype tube is gone. What does it mean for his tunneling dream? (Original Post) quaint Nov 2022 OP
I can't imagine much worse than being underground for 600 miles. LisaM Nov 2022 #1
Dunno. It is a bit shorter time than U spent in the Chunnel from U.K., to France. 3Hotdogs Nov 2022 #9
Hyperloop was just anti-mass transit propaganda. Anti CURRENT mass transit, that is. RockRaven Nov 2022 #2
B I N G O LessAspin Nov 2022 #3
Excellent points quaint Nov 2022 #4
Agreed. underpants Nov 2022 #5
+1 Hiawatha Pete Nov 2022 #8
Musk fan club: "he must be doing this in secret someplace else The_Casual_Observer Nov 2022 #6
giggle quaint Nov 2022 #7

LisaM

(28,604 posts)
1. I can't imagine much worse than being underground for 600 miles.
Sat Nov 5, 2022, 02:47 PM
Nov 2022

I get claustrophobic in the tunnels they have in Seattle for the light rail and on Highway 99.

This scheme always sounded like a nightmare to me.

3Hotdogs

(13,403 posts)
9. Dunno. It is a bit shorter time than U spent in the Chunnel from U.K., to France.
Sat Nov 5, 2022, 07:01 PM
Nov 2022

Yeah, it was dark outside the windows and ya read a book or whatever and that was the extent of it.

I think the Chunnel choo-choo is about three hours with maybe 1/2 hour in the tunnel.

RockRaven

(16,280 posts)
2. Hyperloop was just anti-mass transit propaganda. Anti CURRENT mass transit, that is.
Sat Nov 5, 2022, 02:54 PM
Nov 2022

Which makes sense for an auto manufacturer. Disincentivize investing in mass transit infrastructure today by promising a new better kind of infrastructure is in development and will need that money tomorrow. Don't want to waste that money on obsolete technology! And then never develop anything, leaving mass transit inadequate and cars the only solution. And where can you buy said cars? From him!

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