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Elon Musk Plans To Build Hyperloop Test Track
An anonymous reader writes that Elon Musk wants to speed up the development of his proposed 800-mph tube transport. "Billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk is getting more hands-on with the Hyperloop. Musk, who heads up both space transportation outfit SpaceX and electric-vehicle maker Tesla Motors, casually announced via Twitter on Thursday that he's decided to help accelerate development of his vision for near-supersonic tube transportation, first outlined in August 2013. Musk said he will build a five-mile test track for the still-theoretical system for students and companies to use. A possible location would be Texas, he added, where presumably there is plenty of flat land to go around."
Nevada would likely be a better choice than Texas because of it's high altitude and large flat areas. Of course there are likely other states that would be even better.
My guess is he's trying to get Texas to let him sell Tesla's directly in the state. That's why he's dangling this carrot in front of them.
"where presumably there is plenty of flat land to go around"
Other states have plenty of room for a 5 mile test track. I'd bet a dollar that Rhode Island could find room for it. I wonder why California didn't pop to mind, especially since he lives there.
He said Texas because they will be glad to see it, and get him some building permits quickly. In other states, some more than others, it takes a long time to get approval for these things. Not just business-wise; impact studies and environmental studies and social studies... And a good chance that your project would become a political football in the meantime.
It wasn't because of flat land.
To be fair, you should be comparing it to other fictional forms of transportation.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
I personally think Elon Musk is overhyped. I argue that the SpaceX cofounder, Tom Mueller, was more important that Elon Musk. If Mueller had the money, he could have founded SpaceX.
Overhyped or not, at least the man is using his money to move humanity forward towards the future we as children believed we would have been a part of by adulthood. The United States government would rather waste it on fighting undeclared wars around the globe than invest in good science. The other 1% would rather "fight" malaria, buy up entertainment companies, or let it sit in offshore accounts or floating around in the stock market where in reality its not doing anything productive.
If more of the 1% were like Musk, society would be much better off.
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Hippie Logger Jock
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where exactly would a five mile test loop do some good?
Anywhere it's built, since the purpose of a TEST LOOP is to develop the technology.
Did you really not know this?
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
This guy has actually designed and built rockets that go to space and can land safely back on Earth. You think he's so out of touch with reality that a fucking Wiki page is standing between what he says and what reality is?
Musk may not ever perfect the Hyperloop, but if he doesn't, it won't be because of anything you think you know. It'll be because he's too busy revolutionizing the automobile, space travel, and power industries simultaneously. What a stunning display of arrogance to sit where you sit and toss trivial criticisms like "we know it's impractical because I read a Wiki article about it" at a guy who launches shit into space for a living while he's not building electric tank-cars or spreading affordable solar power or raising his kids. The day you know more than Musk about -anything- is the day he has a fuckin' tag on his toe.
-- "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
I worship him...therefore he is a demigod :)
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?