We all know about the four modes of transportation — railways, roadways, seaways and airways. But have you heard about Elon Musk's proposal of the "fifth mode of transportation"? the 'Hyperloop'?
Hyperloop is a technology proposed by Elon Musk in 2013. According to Musk's whitepaper release (Hyperloop Alpha), a Hyperloop system would consist of low air pressure tunnels, tunnels that inch almost near to vacuum, with train-like pods travelling inside it. Since the tunnel has very low air pressure inside it, it causes very less friction to the pods and therefore, the pods would travel at very high speeds, speeds of up to 700 miles an hour!
Which means that your trip from New Delhi to Mumbai would come down to 55 minutes. Just 55 minutes. I know that sounds crazy. I mean, who would travel in something that shoots them at speeds higher than that of an aeroplane? But as of 2017, there are more than a dozen companies working to implement this technology and more than 100 universities, around the globe, researching on the 'Hyperloop'.
Even though it's not operational and is still in R&D phase, the Hyperloop market is already worth over a billion dollars and is expected to reach $6.34 Billion by 2026, according to a Yahoo! Finance report. The key players in Hyperloop segment are Hyperloop One (recently acquired by Richard Branson's Virgin group), Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), DGWHyperloop (India), Canada's Transpod, AECOM and Musk's very own SpaceX. The involvement of these companies is what makes this market worth over a billion dollars.
Although these companies are betting big on Hyperloop, is it really the right time for 'Hyperloop' to hit the shelves?
The countries where most of these companies are based in, are the United States, Canada, the UK, UAE, and India. These are the primary targets of Hyperloop companies. However, the governments have not shown much of their excitement for the Hyperloop. The silence of governing agencies in the United States forced companies like Hyperloop One and HTT to move abroad and explore options. India is already working a bullet train and seems to be 'postponing' Hyperloop at the moment whilst there has been no response from the governments in other countries on the technology, except UAE, where a test track between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is being built already.
A major reason behind the government's ignorance is the financials that are involved with Hyperloop. Building a Hyperloop is like building a bullet train, with tunnels. Musk mentions in his Hyperloop Alpha papers that building a Hyperloop system between LA and San Fransisco would cost about $6 Billion. While financial pundits believe that it's almost impossible to build such an extensive system between these two cities for anywhere less than $30 Billion — excluding estate costs.
There are many security risks involved with this technology as well. For instance, a small leakage anywhere in the whole tunnel would fill it up with air, destroying the pods travelling inside it. These tunnels would be very prone to terrorist attacks as well. Also, none of the Hyperloop developers seems to have a concrete solution to tackle natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes. And the worst, there still isn't a solid way to stop a running Hyperloop pod — no braking mechanism.
And perhaps the most controversial thing about the Hyperloop is it's per ticket costs to commuters. India's DGWHyperloop says that a 55-minute travel between Delhi and Mumbai would cost travellers ₹2600 (≈$40) while its US counterparts have numbers between $20-$200 for a similar distance. A pointed to be noted here is that all these companies are developing Hyperloop based on their own expertise, thus, each Hyperloop company has its own version of the technology.
Also, present transportation technologies aren't all outdated yet. Most countries — including the United States — have failed in building a High-Speed Railway network for its citizens. While countries like India still run on a cramping and outdated railway network.
So maybe, it would be better for these countries to give a try to the already existing and tested transportation systems and upgrade their present systems rather than going all Hyperloop-y.
These are my thoughts on the Hyperloop. I'd love to hear yours in the comment section, fellow Steemians.
Image source: YouTube