Hyperloop, Where For Art Thou?

Transportation and speed have always gone hand in hand, and it is no different today when we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having the Hyperloop.

The Hyperloop is a form of transportation that incorporates a sealed tube or system that contains a vacuum where a pod transporting people and cargo without the hindrance of air resistance. This will allow the pod to achieve speeds up to 760 miles per hour along a 350-mile long stretch of railway. The cost of the Hyperloop train would cost around 6 billion for just a passenger train, and 7 if the train also included cargo. 

This is only a projected scenario of the benefits of the Hyperloop, but other studies have indicated that the train would actually travel faster. But the concept and more recent developments thanks to better models has revealed that the Hyperloop would be able to travel higher speeds based upon its resistance and ability to retain adequate power along the full extent of the line. 

The concept for the Hyperloop has been headed up by Elon Musk and SpaceX in order to facilitate a more reliable means of transportation for people in the near future. The project has been open sourced to many interested parties around the world who want to see this dream become a reality. 

There have been many groups that have started to build designs and ideas for bringing this new method of transportation to the world. The idea to develop this concept is manifesting all over the world as people begin to recognize that this technology can be implemented despite its costs and limitations in developing a stable adequate design to facilitate its benefits.

To see an example of the many benefits that the Hyperloop can offer, one only has to look at the time it would take to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco would only take around thirty minutes to complete.

Essentially, the technology that must be employed is a vast array of machines that will create an airtight vacuum that will reduce friction allowing for zero or low resistance. The pod while in its air free environment is suspended by magnets carrying it along the tube to its destination. 

The problem is being able to have the correct design that will sustain a vacuum while carrying the pod on a maglev concept. The cost many have speculated will be very high and thus is impractical to pursue. The Hyperloop would also be vulnerable to attack and other unforeseeable environmental issues. 

There have been many different types of designs to arrive at a final product that would satisfy the engineering problems, but with a cost-effective strategy that can truly be implemented. 

Another problem that is faced by the building of the Hyperloop is what location will be the best for the train to be situated. Not all locations will suit the dynamics of this type of technology because of the path that the tube will have to take and the costs involved. The primary problem associated with the use of the Hyperloop is developing a technology for the train that will satisfy design and cost. 

There are many groups and countries that are developing these plans. For instance, the United States is proposing the pursuit of a Hyperloop train project that would connect Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area. The train would run along Interstate 5 to the North and find its destination in Hayward on the east side of the San Francisco Bay Area. 

A project is underway of creating a link between Helsinki and Stockholm that would create a tunnel that would link the two capitals together by tunneling under the Baltic Sea. This 300-mile tunnel connection is just one of many different projects that are planned. Work is even being done in The United Arab Emirates with connecting Dubai with the rest of the country. 

In Toronto, there is a Hyperloop project underway to make a connection with Montreal, Windsor, and a connection from Calgary to Edmonton. Moscow is also working on developing their own means of transportation with the Hyperloop. 

Because of the incorporation of many different groups that are redesigning the Hyperloop using their own innovations and ideas, has brought the reality of the Hyperloop into the reality of everyday living. With new breakthroughs and developments that push the project closer to reasonable pursuits, the Hyperloop is generating huge interests from many different industries that see the usefulness of its applications. Even NASA has become involved in the development of the Hyperloop and sees great potential with its usage in their programs. 

This insurgence of interest has caused a large number of companies to be developed to pursue this technology. This has started a whirlwind of funding and minds to focus on a solution to make the Hyperloop work. A race has started with the Hyperloop to of design and create the transportation of the future. 

Hyperloop One is one of several companies that is pursuing this endeavor with a team of around 300 people. This company employees many different people in various fields of science including engineers, technicians, machinists, and welders. This project is housing a wide variety of talents in many diverse fields as the final solution comes closer to our grasps. 

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is a coalition of over 800 engineers and professionals from around the world. Some are working on the project full time while others dedicate what free time is available in their busy schedules. 

Transpod is a Canadian company that is designing new concepts for the Hyperloop and is one of the primary proponents that is looking to moving magnetic fields in order to propel the pod to high-velocity speeds.

DGWHyperloop and is a company in India that is investing their time and effort into bringing the idea of the Hyperloop into the world. The unique aspect of this company is that they are trying to incorporate the Hyperloop to all areas of their country. This is the only company that is trying to do a nationwide project to bring this technology to the forefront. 

Arrivo is a company that is founded in Los Angeles with a central focus on making the Hyperloop affordable and easy to operate. 

There is a Dutch team that is also trying to develop a model as well called Hardt Global Mobility which had their start from winning the SpaceX Pod Competition. 

Hyper Chariot is a company based in Santa Monica in the United States and is planning on using superconductivity and magnetics to operate their version of the Hyperloop. 

Zeleros is a company founded in Valencia and is focused on building new concepts for Hyperloop projects in order to bring the technology to the general public. 

There has also been some strong criticism concerning the Hyperloop. The human condition and its capability to withstand the environments of a Hyperloop train have not been studied. Some speculate that the speed of the train may cause health problems that are yet unforeseeable. What will happen if the train malfunctions? What are the safeguards for such an incident and will those who are involved in the accident have any chance of surviving?