Which Hyperloop tech will come out on top?
Entrepreneur and inventor Elon Musk鈥檚 SpaceX continues development on his futuristic Hyperloop system, but competitors are also working on establishing a foothold in the market and making his high-speed pipe dream a reality.
The Hyperloop, originally proposed by Mr. Musk in 2013, is a 鈥渇ifth mode鈥� of transportation, after planes, trains, cars, and boats, that would be a variation on high-speed rail. The Hyperloop consists of 鈥渁 tube over or under the ground that contains a special environment,鈥� used to carry people or supplies at speeds of more than 700 miles per hour 鈥� far faster than any contemporary commercial transportation.
While Musk acknowledged many potential problems and shortcomings the Hyperloop could present in transitioning from design to reality, and some its chances of success, the concept has already attracted several teams eager to facilitate its advancement.
SpaceX has been working on the idea since its inception, and has invited others to design and test their own Hyperloop systems. Start-up companies such as Hyperloop Technologies and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Inc. (HTT) have moved on with Musk鈥檚 initial plans.
On Monday, HTT announced its next step toward building a functioning Hyperloop with "exclusively licensed" from physicist Richard Post, who passed away this past year. Dr. Post鈥檚 work would be a necessary facet of a complete Hyperloop, as such a system would need to function with little to no friction on its transportation pods within its tubing, and passive magnets could be a lower-cost solution than the active systems currently in use on maglev trains around the world.
鈥淯tilizing a passive levitation system will eliminate the need for power stations along the Hyperloop track, which makes this system the most suitable for the application and will keep construction costs low,鈥� HTT chief operating officer Bibop Gresta said in a statement.
鈥淔rom a safety aspect, the system has huge advantages,鈥� Mr. Gresta added, as any operational failures would result in pods slowly coasting to a stop rather than rapidly dropping or crashing.
HTT鈥檚 notice came one day before rival Hyperloop Tech is during a demonstration of progress on its own system.
HTT also recently to explore the implementation of its technology across Europe.
HTT is currently developing a miles-long test track for its Hyperloop system in Quay Valley, Calif., while Hyperloop Tech continues work in North Las Vegas, Nev. SpaceX鈥檚 version could be tested near the company's Hawthorne, Calif., headquarters, although the track could be built in Texas.
Musk eventually wants his Hyperloop to follow the portion of Interstate 5 running from Los Angeles to San Francisco. He estimates the new transit system would allow for travel 鈥渇rom county line to county line鈥� within 35 minutes, and cost $6 billion.
A high-speed electric rail connecting the two urban centers has been in the works for years, with plans for the 800-mile system to be online by 2030. That train would send passengers across California at speeds up to 220 miles per hour.
Hyperloop technology is still only theoretical at this point, as no functioning full-scale systems have yet been built nor has any of the Hyperloop companies acquired the land or resources to build hundreds of miles of tubing. Still, Hyperloop Tech chief executive officer Rob Lloyd thinks that the growing industry will still be a success.
鈥淭he interest that we see coming in from around the world, about the applications of Hyperloop is just astounding,鈥� Mr. Lloyd told CNBC. 鈥� ... says we want something different, and we believe Hyperloop can be part of the solution in the future.鈥�
