A group of expert engineers released the progress of the "Hyperloop Project," a train that is ten times faster than a bullet train, and it can bring passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 3 minutes. The developers said it should be ready for travel use in ten years from now.
Hyperloop is a brainchild of the famous innovator Tesla and SpaceX chief executive, Elon Musk. He talked about the concept more than a year ago as a revolutionary "fifth mode" of transport, eclipsing trains, planes, boats and automobiles. He presented its design and how it will be powered by solar panels, but didn't actually work on the project. He encouraged others to make it happen and said he had no plans of patenting the idea.
Dirk Ahlborn, CEO and co-founder of JumpStartFund, took the challenge into his hands and will attempt to make the seemingly impossible project into a reality in just ten years. He outlined in a 68-page report released on Friday the progress of the Hyperloop project, including its geometry and design. It shows a circular front end for better aerodynamics and capsules where passengers will be seated. The train will also have different rooms for economy and business classes. Its stations will have robots to assist passengers with their luggage.
Musk's idea was to build it between San Francisco and Los Angeles, but Ahlborn expanded the plan to have a network that will transport people from Los Angeles to Las Vegas; Dallas-San Antonio-Austin-Houston; and Boston-New York-Philadelphia-Washington.
"When I talk to people they look at me and say, 'Oh, you're building a spaceship?'" Ahlborn told Mashable."The technical issues are not a problem. ... That is something we've already defined. We've found solutions to all of the problems. There are technologies out there."
If you think Ahlborn is crazy with this idea, you better think again as he and his team of 100 expert engineers from SpaceX, NASA and Airbus have spent time analyzing the routes, costs and the design. The final plan of the Hyperloop project will be released by the middle of next year, but the current estimate for a 400-mile route is $6 to $10 billion.
"I have almost no doubt that once we are finished, once we know how we are going to build and it makes economical sense that we will get the funds," Ahlborn told Wired.
If you are curious how much the Hyperloop fare would be, the developers hope to keep it to $20 to $30 per ride.
