<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>California Hyperloop Route &#8211; Scienceandsf -A Blog Published by Robert A. Lawler</title>
	<atom:link href="https://scienceandsf.com/index.php/tag/california-hyperloop-route/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://scienceandsf.com</link>
	<description>Discussions of Topics Related to Science and Science Fiction</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2020 14:02:22 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2</generator>
	<item>
		<title>Virgin Corporation performs first ever test of a Hyperloop transportation system. So how long before the first commercial Hyperloop line begins service?</title>
		<link>https://scienceandsf.com/index.php/2020/11/25/virgin-corporation-performs-first-ever-test-of-a-hyperloop-transportation-system-so-how-long-before-the-first-commercial-hyperloop-line-begins-service/</link>
					<comments>https://scienceandsf.com/index.php/2020/11/25/virgin-corporation-performs-first-ever-test-of-a-hyperloop-transportation-system-so-how-long-before-the-first-commercial-hyperloop-line-begins-service/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2020 14:02:21 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California Hyperloop Route]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elon Musk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hyperloop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Virgin Hyperloop]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://scienceandsf.com/?p=4004</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The Hyperloop transportation system may seem high tech and futuristic but the idea behind it is simple enough. A high-speed train of some sort, like the magnetic levitation (maglev) trains in Japan for example, is placed inside a tube with most of the air removed. With 99% of the air gone from the tube the &#8230; <a href="https://scienceandsf.com/index.php/2020/11/25/virgin-corporation-performs-first-ever-test-of-a-hyperloop-transportation-system-so-how-long-before-the-first-commercial-hyperloop-line-begins-service/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Virgin Corporation performs first ever test of a Hyperloop transportation system. So how long before the first commercial Hyperloop line begins service?"</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>The Hyperloop transportation system may seem high tech and futuristic but the idea behind it is simple enough. A high-speed train of some sort, like the magnetic levitation (maglev) trains in Japan for example, is placed inside a tube with most of the air removed. With 99% of the air gone from the tube the high-speed train will encounter virtually no air resistance allowing it to travel even faster and with greater energy efficiency.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Hyperloop-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4006" width="580" height="435" srcset="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Hyperloop-1.jpg 480w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Hyperloop-1-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 85vw, 580px" /><figcaption>The Hyperloop is really just a train inside a tube that has had all of the air removed so that the train can speed along as fast as an airplane! (Credit: Railway Gazette)</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" width="1280" height="720" src="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/MagLev.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4007" srcset="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/MagLev.jpg 1280w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/MagLev-300x169.jpg 300w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/MagLev-768x432.jpg 768w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/MagLev-1200x675.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px" /><figcaption>Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) trains are already operating in Japan and China. Putting one of these babies inside an vacuum tuba and who knows how fast it could go! (Credit: YouTube) </figcaption></figure>



<p>The basic idea of railroad trains running through evacuated tubes has been around for nearly a hundred years now but the technical difficulties were so great that nobody gave it much thought. At least not until Elon Musk, of Tesla electric cars and Space X first began taking about it in 2012, and at the same time giving it the name by which it&#8217;s now known, the Hyperloop. Musk himself hopes that one day the Hyperloop will achieve speeds even greater than those of airplanes, supersonic or even hypersonic and he has also described the Hyperloop as a &#8216;cross between a Concord and a railgun and an air hockey table&#8221;.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" width="1280" height="720" src="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ElonMusk.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4008" srcset="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ElonMusk.jpg 1280w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ElonMusk-300x169.jpg 300w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ElonMusk-768x432.jpg 768w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ElonMusk-1200x675.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px" /><figcaption>Between Tesla, Space X and his Hyperloop Elon Musk is a very busy man. (Credit: Times of India)</figcaption></figure>



<p>In his effort to develop the Hyperloop Musk has taken advantage of the engineering skills of both Tesla and Space X corporations. So far the collaboration has resulted in the building of a 1.6 km (1 Mile) long tube to be used as a test track for validating various designs. Musk has even opened Hyperloop development up for competition from other engineering firms along with University engineering teams in order to help speed up progress. In Musk&#8217;s Current Alpha Hyperloop design the passenger carrying pod glides above its tracks lifted by air bearings and is propelled down the tube by a linear electric motor. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Hyperloop1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-4009" srcset="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Hyperloop1.jpeg 1200w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Hyperloop1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Hyperloop1-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px" /><figcaption>Musk&#8217;s Hyperloop One test vehicle is prepared for a test. (Credit: Vox)</figcaption></figure>



<p>Musk&#8217;s goal is to develop the technology to the point where construction of a line to provide passenger service between San Francisco and Los Angeles can begin. Such a Hyperloop line could cut surface travel time between the two cities from its current 12 hours to less than one hour. Then, once the technology has proven itself the plan would be to extend Hyperloop service throughout the country providing a low cost, more energy efficient alternative to air travel.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="575" height="471" src="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/HyperloopCAroute-CF.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4010" srcset="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/HyperloopCAroute-CF.jpg 575w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/HyperloopCAroute-CF-300x246.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 575px) 85vw, 575px" /><figcaption>The Proposed Hyperloop route between San Francisco and LA. There&#8217;s an awful lot of valuable land between those two points. (Credit: California Policy Center) </figcaption></figure>



<p>With all of that effort by Elon Musk and his companies it was something of a shock therefore when the first manned test of a Hyperloop vehicle was performed by a competitor, Richard Branson&#8217;s Virgin Hyperloop Corporation. On the eighth of November two executives of Virgin, co-founder Josh Giegel along with Director of Passenger Experience Sara Luchian, took their seats inside a new pod design from the engineering firms Bjarke Ingels Group and Kilo Design. Employing maglev technology the pod was accelerated to a velocity of 172 KPH in a little under 6 seconds. At that speed the pod raced down Virgin&#8217;s 500 meter test track without any problem. If you&#8217;d like to see a short video of the test click on the following link to be taken to a YouTube video. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w2lo5h3D5E">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w2lo5h3D5E</a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="750" src="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/VH-DevLoop-TestSite-3-2000x750.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4011" srcset="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/VH-DevLoop-TestSite-3-2000x750.jpg 2000w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/VH-DevLoop-TestSite-3-300x113.jpg 300w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/VH-DevLoop-TestSite-3-768x288.jpg 768w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/VH-DevLoop-TestSite-3-1200x450.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px" /><figcaption>Musk does have competition. Richard Branson&#8217;s Virgin Corporation is also working hard on the Hyperloop concept. (Credit: Virgin)</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="1334" src="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FirstPassengers-JoshSara-5-2000x1334.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4012" srcset="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FirstPassengers-JoshSara-5-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FirstPassengers-JoshSara-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FirstPassengers-JoshSara-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FirstPassengers-JoshSara-5-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px" /><figcaption>The first passengers to ride a Hyperloop were two employees of Virgin. Josh Giegel on the left and Sara Luchian on the right took a 500m ride. (Credit: CNBC.Com)</figcaption></figure>



<p>So how soon can we expect construction to begin, how soon will we be able to ride the Hyperloop? Well you better be patient, there are a lot of technical problems to overcome. Chief among these is probably just the difficulty in maintaining a near vacuum inside a nearly thousand kilometer long tube, especially in earthquake prone California.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1000" height="667" src="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Earthquake.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4013" srcset="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Earthquake.jpg 1000w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Earthquake-300x200.jpg 300w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Earthquake-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px" /><figcaption>This sort of thing happens all the time in California. Just imagine a vacuum tube having the ground beneath it suddenly split like this. (Credit: Noozhawk.com)</figcaption></figure>



<p>To my mind however the biggest challenge facing the Hyperloop is going to be legal, not technical. You see I&#8217;ve driven from San Francisco to LA several times and there are few areas on Earth as densely populated, or as commercially valuable. The idea of trying to buy the land, or at least obtain right of way, over a line straight through the heart of California is hard to imagine. Oh I suppose you could plan your route so as to go around San Jose, Salinas, San Luis Obispo, Oxnard and Santa Monica but remember every curve you put into your course adds cost and time. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="991" height="788" src="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CaliforniaLand.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4014" srcset="https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CaliforniaLand.jpg 991w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CaliforniaLand-300x239.jpg 300w, https://scienceandsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CaliforniaLand-768x611.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px" /><figcaption>The average acre of land in California costs about twice as much as the US average. That means that Musk&#8217;s Hyperloop dream is going to be an expensive one! (Credit: CA.gov)</figcaption></figure>



<p>I
wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if the first Hyperloop isn&#8217;t built in some less
populated, but fast growing region such as Phoenix Arizona to Albuquerque New
Mexico, with a later extension to Fort Worth Texas. Such a route would allow
the Hyperloop to be constructed at a lower cost, with far fewer lawyers getting
involved. Then once the system is up and running it could prove its value,
increasing both the economic and political will to replace our out of date and
decaying rail systems with a brand new, state of the art transportation system. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://scienceandsf.com/index.php/2020/11/25/virgin-corporation-performs-first-ever-test-of-a-hyperloop-transportation-system-so-how-long-before-the-first-commercial-hyperloop-line-begins-service/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
	</channel>
</rss>