
Hyperloop Update: Elon Musk Will Start Developing It Himself - pash
http://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2013/08/12/latest-update-elon-musk-will-start-the-hyperloop-himself/
======
pash
The interesting bits are the details about Musk's intentions going forward:

 _\- Musk will build a demonstration prototype himself. “I think it might help
if I built a demonstration article. I think I probably will do that, actually.
I’ve sort of come around in my thinking on that part.”

\- For now, this is a low priority for Musk. “Maybe I would just do the
beginning bit, create a subscale version that is operating and then hand it
over to someone else. Ironing out the details at a subscale level is a tricky
thing. I think I would probably end up doing that. It just won’t be immediate
in the short term because I have to focus on Tesla and SpaceX execution.”

\- If it was his first priority, he could have it done in a year. “The
demonstration project would not be anything that required some sort of big
government approval process,” he said.

\- Musk will invest his own money into this project, even though he hopes
others will help as well. “I always invest my own money in the companies that
I create. I don’t believe in the whole thing of just using other people’s
money. I don’t think that’s right. I’m not going to ask other people to invest
in something if I’m not prepared to do so myself.”

\- But it’s okay if it doesn’t make him a lot of money. “I’m not trying to
make a ton of money on this but I would like to see it come to fruition,” he
said. “I don’t really care much one way or another if I have any economic
benefit or another, but it would be cool to see an alternate form of
transport.”_

It'a not clear whether Musk actually said he intends to build a proof of
concept or whether the writer took his "probably" too far.

If anyone finds a more complete transcript of the teleconference, please post
it.

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gkoberger
Slightly misleading headline: he said he will "probably" build a _prototype_ ,
but still has no interest day-to-day. He is interested in investing, however.

------
fnordfnordfnord
I love all of these renderings showing transparent tubes. The tubes probably
aren't going to be transparent. I'm not even sure who would want to look
outside at that speed (besides me), so close to the ground.

~~~
spatten
I'm not sure, but in section 4.1.2 of the PDF, it says:

    
    
        Beautiful landscape will be displayed in the cabin
    

I took this to mean that there would be windows.

I agree about not wanting to look outside, though. I've travelled on the
shinkansen in Japan (which go ~ 1/3 of the speed that the hyperloop is planned
at) and it was really hard to look out of the windows for any length of time.

~~~
sargun
Nope, no Windows. Screens. The documentation talks to the fact the tube is
made of steel, and I'm guessing it's not transparent aluminum.

~~~
nsdnsd
"...made of steel..." "...it's not transparent aluminum..."

‽

~~~
runamok
[http://phys.org/news167925273.html](http://phys.org/news167925273.html) and
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek_materials](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek_materials)

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prakster
A complementary opportunity for Richard Branson (Space / Air / Ground)

~~~
lampooned
Nothing he hasn't done before. Virgin Trains basically have a monopoly in the
UK.

~~~
opminion
Monopoly on what?

~~~
jlgreco
Trains?

~~~
panduwana
Or virgins?

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moocowduckquack
Amazon should build some narrow ones.

~~~
goatforce5
New York City had a series of tubes (pneumatic tubes, that is) connecting
various post offices around Manhattan and even to Brooklyn.

[http://untappedcities.com/2013/03/15/nycs-pneumatic-tube-
mai...](http://untappedcities.com/2013/03/15/nycs-pneumatic-tube-mail-
network/)

I was going to say the destruction of it was spearheaded by the automobile
companies, but I was confusing that with the fate of the streetcar system in
NYC and elsewhere:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspi...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy)

~~~
astrodust
I'd also read that it was upended by the company supplying delivery vans to
the postal service: General Motors.

They could sling a package across Manhattan in minutes, but to drive there,
then as now, takes a lot longer.

------
loceng
I think he's playing politics here, along with creating and riding a marketing
wave. I think he'll likely do it all himself, especially since he'll discover
more efficiencies and realize it's even more profitable than the current level
/ depth of research suggests - which is already much more efficient than other
systems - even if you take into account the $6 billion to $60 billion
comparison isn't apples-to-apples, you could still conceivably create 10
routes at $6 each (or shorter routes costing less), and then gaining the time
benefit of transport taking 20 to 35 minutes - instead of 2-5 1/2 hours. I
only wish I had the millions right now to building a surf board or two to ride
this new wave that will be created. I have to focus on my current version of
Elon's "PayPal" first. Patience is a virtue - and sometimes infuriating that
things move so slowly.. but that is the game of life that everyone is in.

------
kmfrk
I think Musk at least sees this as an important learning opportunity that
could yield information useful to both SpaceX and Tesla - beyond the goal of
making the Hyperloop itself a reality.

Much like what goes on at NASA, really.

------
ics
> Musk will build a demonstration prototype himself. “I think it might help if
> I built a demonstration article. I think I probably will do that, actually.
> I’ve sort of come around in my thinking on that part.”

...After which he reiterates that this is not his top priority, though if it
was that it would take just one year by his estimates. I guess we'll all be
looking forward to finding out where the prototype will be located (Texas?).

------
cynusx
I can imagine him being torn on his priorities here, at the very least the
Hyperloop project would drain some of his core engineering group which might
not be in the best interest of tesla or spaceX.

It will take a real entrepreneur to derisk the project enough though before it
can be released under other management. At the very least this marketing wave
will aid him in securing enough funding/political capital to build a prototype
somewhere.

------
prawn
In the cavity between the two tubes and the solar panels, there might be space
for a freight transport tube?

~~~
jeffasinger
There will also likely be additional capacity on the main tubes.

I doubt the system will be running as often at 2am as it does at 7am

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kumarski
Anybody want to make a longbet against Musk?

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pixie_
This is Elon's Segway - unproven, hyped up technology. This always happens
with successful people/companies - they feel like they can do anything and
can't fail - throwing rationality into the wind. I love Elon, but this is not
worth his time at the moment.

~~~
thomasjoulin
The man publish a 40 pages technical document and you dismiss it with a
comment. At least provide a single argument

~~~
pixie_
No prototype - nothing even remotely close to a prototype. At least rockets
and electric cars had some basis in reality before Elon started working on
them.

~~~
mbesto
High-speed trains don't have a basis for reality?
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen)

~~~
Narretz
The hyperloop is not a high-speed train.

~~~
mbesto
The Space-X rocket isn't a rocket.

The Tesla Roadster isn't an electric car.

See what I did there?

~~~
Narretz
Yeah, I see that you make no sense ...

