The Hyperloop is Coming…

With talk of moving away from cars as a primary mode of transportation, moving toward more effective forms of public transportation seems to be one of our top options. The train was the original form of mass public transportation on the ground, and later the subway was introduced as a more discreet version of the train system for larger cities. However, a new innovation stands to replace the subway.

According to Energy.gov, the first example of a commercially available “maglev train” began in Bejing in 2004. “Maglev” refers to the use of electromagnets on the train car and tracks to channel electricity into oppositely charged poles on the track to propel the train forward while keeping it suspended. The hyperloop – to put it lightly – is essentially a maglev train on steroids.

Elon Musk’s “Boring Company” is working on creating the “hyperloop,” an underground maglev train system on the eastern seaboard in and around Washington DC. In Aarian Marshall’s WIRED article “Elon Musk’s Boring Company Inches Closer to Making Hyperloop a Reality,” Musk reportedly promised that the hyperloop “would one day transport travelers between New York and the nation’s capital in just under 30 minutes.” In order to accomplish such a feat, the train would need to be moving around 700mph – just under the speed of sound. The magnets alone cannot accomplish this so easily, as they are fighting massive amount of air resistance. From the problem of air resistance came an ingenious idea: just get rid of the air. As comical as that solution may sound, engineers should be able to achieve this depressurized environment, “the Hyperloop tube operate at very low pressure: 100 Pascals, about 1/6 the pressure of the atmosphere of Mars” (DeCross).

The concept of the hyperloop shows great potential – one end of that potential being a total failure. While I may be personally fascinated by the idea of the hyperloop, there is no doubt that it may come with a myriad of problems. Firstly, just how much energy would it require to maintain the vacuum within the track-tube? Furthermore, because it will be sealed underground, how would regular maintenance be conducted? Secondly, what if the tube is depressurized from an external breach? Would the train – moving 700mph – be unfit to handle the new levels of air resistance and crash? Third, and perhaps worst, what if there is a breach in the hull of the train itself? An instant release of pressure would instantaneously kill the passengers, while a slow release in pressure would likely result in suffocation… While these are certainly worst-case scenarios, they are scenarios we must consider nonetheless.

However, just like any new technology, there is always a certain degree of uncertainty that we must accept. In general, the concept of the hyperloop would largely dispose of the need for cars in the areas it is implemented, which is a net positive; carbon emissions would be significantly cut down, traffic would clear, and there would be no need to expand the current highway system. Furthermore, commerce would benefit if people could travel long distances with such ease, as people would likely travel more and spend their money where they go. Essentially, the hyperloop also has the potential to become such a force for good that it reshapes our current society.

While the hyperloop has incredible and/or disastrous potential, we have little to go on yet as the hyperloop has not yet arrived. However, we will likely come to a verdict sooner rather than later as the hyperloop IS coming, and there’s not much standing in its way.

Sources Used:

DeCross, Matt. “Hyperloop.” Brilliant, brilliant.org/wiki/hyperloop/.