PowerSwitch

Will Hyperloop happen???

Well, apparently Richard Branson is looking to sponsor it (it was in the Telegraph this week, but now can't find the link):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQXqeWKY2Fc

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... erloop-one

His track record in investments like this doesn't seem great imo.

Pointless.

Why don't they just go for Maglev instead of HS2. Skip a technology and do as the Chinese are.

Why can't we get in on the ground floor of a new technology for a change instead of dragging ourselves in at the rear? I blame it on the dinosaur city and its poodles in the government addicted to trading bits of useless paper rather than investing in the real economy like we did in the industrial revolution and in Victorian times.

Thank goodness that we have people like Branson and Dyson and companies like Rolls Royce Aero Engines to carry the flag for British innovation. I bet they get their finance from abroad though.

A short prototype has been recently been demonstrated.
I feel that 500 meters of "track" and a speed of about 100 MPH is more of a publicity stunt than a real demonstration of the technology.

Still a very silly idea IMO.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54838982

Nought to 100mph and back in 500 metres is quite an achievement and probably not too comfortable.

Regarding its roll out nationally, it would probably only be cost efficient on longer distance routes with few stops. Local routes would probably use the maglev system without the vacuum and people would transfer to the vacuum system for longer journeys. Economists would, as always, work out which journeys would require which system.

I remain very doubtful indeed about the hyperloop system.
The tubes are to contain a vacuum in order to minimise friction. The passenger carrying pods will therefore need to be reliably pressure tight and to carry an air supply. More like spaceships than any conventional vehicle. Any escape of the internal air would promptly kill the occupants.

Keeping a long tunnel vacuum tight would be a huge challenge, any ingress of air would destroy the vacuum.
Ingress of water is more likely and very dangerous at the proposed speed.

Continuous pumping to maintain the vacuum would need a lot of energy.

Crossrail (established technology) was originally supposed to be finished in December 2018.
Now unlikely to open until the spring, and probably won't be fully operational until mid-2022.

Zero chance for this. Same argument as HS2 - why spend many billions reducing travel time for the mega rich between Gatwick and Heathrow to 4 minutes, when for the majority of us, there's no bus to get us to the local shops ?

Calls for hyperloops, maglevs, monorails and the like are also a good way of postponing the building here and now of a conventional railway.