Where in the US could Elon Musk test a Hyperloop concept first?

Krishtina D'Silva Posted on: 2019-09-30 17:00:18 Viewer: 1,575 Comments: 0 Country: United States City: Los Angeles

Where in the US could Elon Musk test a Hyperloop concept first?

In the United States, there’s been some resistance to the hyperloop concept. Despite the fact that early indications suggest this revolutionary form of transportation could be up to 10 times more energy-efficient than airplanes, there are enough questions about cost, infrastructure, and general feasibility that it seems as if adoption and construction in the US are going to be slow. Frankly, with one of America’s major political parties being opposed to progressive energy solutions, there is also an issue when it comes to prioritizing this sort of change. That said, it is also easy to imagine hyperloop systems exploding in popularity (and investment) if only one or two examples prove to be successful, no matter where those examples may be. And given this notion, as well as the fact that Elon Musk is the person most publicly pushing the hyperloop idea forward in the U.S., progress in America may come quickly once it starts. Musk’s Tesla cars were also questioned and dismissed by many just a few short years ago, and have by now become some of the best-selling cars in the US. Perhaps his hyperloop projects will evolve similarly. Even if this form of transportation does take off in America though, it will likely be on a relatively limited scale to start with: small routes between close or directly linked cities, for instance, or short interstate distances. The following are speculative ideas, but they’re some of the routes we could imagine ultimately leading to functioning proof of hyperloop concept.

Los Angeles, California to San Francisco, California

The Los Angeles-to-San Francisco route is likely to be the first major, city-to-city route tested in the US. When Musk was gearing up to unveil a sort of public test version of his hyperloop pods last year, it was noted in related stores that supporters of the project were envisioning this lengthy California trip as a near-future option. The drive from LA to San Francisco currently can take five or six hours (and longer in heavy traffic), but with a proper hyperloop, it could take only 30 minutes.

New York, New York to Atlantic City, New Jersey

Hyperloop tech is often discussed for its potential within cities and over long distances. But a brief trip outside of a city could make for an interesting early innovation, and there’s some sense to designing such a route between New York City and Atlantic City. The latter isn’t the lively gambling hot spot it once was, but it may be on the rise once more as a center for entertainment. New Jersey has pioneered a revolution in online gambling, leading to additional casino sites in Pennsylvania and even some interest in New York. But in Atlantic City specifically, those casino sites have brought attention back to the land-based gaming opportunities as well and made the town a worthwhile vacation destination once more. Because of this trend, it’s reasonable to assume that a convenient transportation option could lead droves of tourists to make the trip from New York - which would take just minutes.

Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas, Nevada

This is a concept we haven’t seen discussed as much, but it’s another one that makes for a very sensible early hyperloop option, essentially for the same reasons as the New York-to-Atlantic City idea. Unlike Atlantic City, Las Vegas hasn’t really needed any sort of revival; while parts of the city’s entertainment scene are being phased out, Vegas is always evolving and is catering to more tourists than ever. A fair number of those tourists are making a four-hour drive east from LA, and would undoubtedly love to have a hyperloop option. Particularly if the long-rumored LA-San Francisco idea comes to fruition, we could see this route following it as the first expansion of a developing LA-based hyperloop hub (which could perhaps add destinations like San Diego and the Grand Canyon soon thereafter).

Atlanta, Georgia to Orlando, Florida

Ultimately, the goal of the hyperloop concept and others like it is to reduce not only car usage and road trip time, but also air travel. There will be a transition though, and this particular route suggestion actually makes sense because Atlanta is such a busy air travel hub. Orlando and a few other Florida destinations to its south are among the most popular tourists' spots in the US, and Atlanta receives incoming flights from just about the whole country. So, in theory, tourists could expedite their travel process by flying into Atlanta and then taking a speedy hyperloop the rest of the way - either to visit Disney World in Atlanta (as millions do each year), or to then continue on to places like Miami or the Florida Keys.

Chicago, Illinois to Toronto, Ontario

This is not an entirely US-based suggestion, but it’s still an important one to round out this list with, because as stated the goal is largely to cut back on air travel. It may come as a surprise to some, but Chicago-to-Toronto is actually one of the busiest air travel routes in the world of late, which of course means a very high number of flights could be avoided if this hyperloop were established.





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