Hyperloops: A Ride To The Future

Imagine driving in the car to New York from Boston for a road trip. Staying in a cramped car for 7 hours will seem like an eternity. Along the way, you will also experience a lot of traffic adding more time to the already long travel time. I think traveling is one of the most boring things in the world. What if I told you instead of a 7 hour trip to New York you could reach there in 30 minutes with lots of comforts. That is with the newest advanced transportation method called Hyperloop.

What are Hyperloops

Hyperloop is a new form of transportation that is similar to a train in which it can bring people and cargo across a certain distance. Hyperloops will consist of two massive tubes elevated by concrete pylons extending from one location to another. The hyperloop will allow pods to travel across the track to either carry people or cargo. The tubes would house a low-pressure environment, surrounding the pod with a cushion of air that permits the pod to move safely at such high speeds, like a puck gliding over an air hockey table.

How will Hyperloops be used?

Hyperloops will be used to do similar tasks as trains do today such as transporting people and cargo from place to place. Hyperloop pods will be launched from stations set up at locations where the hyperloop will stop. Hyperloop stations will be similar to airports as they will be equipped with a security check, handling luggage, and a gate to board the hyperloop pod. Hyperloop capsules will depart from between 2 minutes and 30 seconds apart from each other. The design of the hyperloop will allow for there to be 40 capsules in a track at any time and 28 passengers per capsule. This allows for 3360 passengers traveling in the hyperloop per hour.

How do Hyperloops work?

Hyperloops work similarly to magnetic levitation trains by using linear induction motors. Linear induction motors help make the capsule accelerate at high speeds such as 760 miles per hour. Linear induction motors work by using a magnetic rail called a rotator which integrates within tube mounted accelerators and decelerators sections called stator. Hyperloops also work by creating very low pressure inside the tube which is almost the same pressure a person would feel as traveling 150 feet above sea level. Around 5 thousand pounds of batteries power the onboard compressor that compresses air in the front and shoots it out the back to create some of the trust. The hyperloop gets this energy from solar panels that are planted on top of the tubes.

Influence of Elon Musk on Hyperloops and The Boring Company

Elon Musk popularized the idea of Hyperloops in the last decade as an alternate faster method of transportation. After he proposed the idea, he put it in the public domain as open-source so other people can help with this idea and build it further. In addition, when Elon Musk was stuck in traffic and he hated it, he planned to do something about it by forming a company that could accelerate the development of hyperloop. The Boring Company was founded on December 18, 2016, by Elon Musk which is figuring out new ways to travel to other places with the main goal being able to dig tunnels more efficiently and developing those tunnels as a hyperloop system.

Virgin Hyperloop One

Virgin Hyperloop One is another company that is currently working on hyperloop. The company was started on June 1, 2014, by Josh Giegel to build on Elon Musk’s proposed idea. Virgin Hyperloop One got its inspiration from a vacuum train which was proposed by a rocketry pioneer Robert Goddard in 1909. Virgin Hyperloop One has currently moved on from the planning stage and now they are testing potential hyperloop tracks and hyperloop capsules. Virgin Hyperloop One test out their capsules on a 436-mile track which takes the capsule 10.6 seconds to complete with traveling a speed of 192 miles per hour. The hyperloop is in its very early stages so it will take some time before we have a fully working hyperloop.

Challenges with Hyperloops

• Earthquakes and vibrations: Earthquakes or underground vibrations in the earth can damage the hyperloop tube track. The Boring Company is going to solve this problem by building its tunnels to minimize the impact of vibrations.
• Heat and Temperature: Heat can have a huge impact on metal. It can stretch it out by melting it. This will be a huge problem for the hyperloop since the pods need a certain sized tube to work.
• Cost: The hyperloop system will initially cost a lot to build as well as operate and maintain.

Key Takeaways

• The current method of transportation is really slow and causes many delays in travel and delivering cargo. Today most people have to work where they live and that restricts many people's job choices.
• Hyperloops can be used to transport people and cargo from place to place in a really fast way. This allows for more connection between people through this fast method of transportation. People can live in one area while working in another area opening a new world of possibilities.
• In order for the hyperloop to work there are a few challenges that need to be addressed. Indeed hyperloops will be a part of a transportation system in an ever-connected global world. Hyperloops will not only help a few people but everyone on earth.

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