The State of Hyperloop: I
Part 1: Elon Musk and Beating Physics: how Hyperloop came to be
A three-part exploration into the technology that promises to revolutionise the world
Part 1: Elon Musk and Beating Physics: how Hyperloop came to be
Part 3: Hyperloop in India: the race to flaunt the future, and whether it makes sense
Most stories on the Hyperloop start with Elon Musk and his ‘messianic’ 2012 proclamation: Let there be Hyperloop, he said, thereby kickstarting an open-source scramble to capitalise on the potential this mode of transportation offered. This one is a bit different. It’s a story of the pursuit of engineering excellence in Chennai, far from the bright lights of LA and the silicon sheen of SF, and how the first implementation of a futuristic technology might be in India. Hyperloop may or may not be the bolt into the future that leaves technologists salivating, but one thing is for sure — smarter, better engineering is the way forward, and is what is desperately needed today.
What exactly is a Hyperloop*? It’s a fantastical vision for the future that Musk is only the latest spokesperson for — a gleaming metal tube, through which whooshes a capsule at supersonic speeds, carrying 30–40 passengers to cities hundreds of kilometres away in minutes. Hyperloop is not a breakout invention, but more a combination of existing technologies that inventors and tinkerers have been working on since the 19th century. The fundamental transportation problem is how to go as fast as you can with the limitations that the earth and physics place before you. Two factors, in particular, are what the hyperloop focuses on eliminating — Air resistance and Friction.
To reduce the friction of irregular terrain, inventions like the tram and the railroad came up, where the vehicle is set on a fixed track, greatly simplifying its path. To reduce the drag force due to air that opposes motion strongly at high speeds, we simply went where there was less air: at high altitudes where aeroplanes fly, low pressure allowing cruising with relatively lower fuel consumption. But neither of these solutions satisfy the urge that we can simply do better. A way to travel faster than trains on land, while avoiding the hassles of modern congested air travel and being more environmentally friendly.
*(a clarification on terminology — since multiple companies and groups are working on hyperloop technologies, all referring to their product as a ‘Hyperloop’, there is no single ‘The Hyperloop’. Thanks to Musk’s flamboyance, we have a generic name for a mode of transportation more impressive than any currently in use.
The invention of the vacuum pump in the 17th century laid the basis — by evacuating an environment, you could simulate the low pressure of high altitudes, and reduce air drag. Various suggestions were made over the years, but it was only with the arrival of later technologies that two viable mechanisms came up — magnetic levitation (like a maglev bullet train) or a layer of moving air (a la hovercraft).
Switch back to 2012, when Musk’s declaration of a new form of transport, with its newly coined name, brought this convergence of technologies back into the public consciousness. In a 57-page white-paper released to the public in August 2013 under SpaceX, he outlined his plans for how this system would look — an aerodynamic pod in a steel tube from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a journey of 600 km in 35 minutes. ‘Air bearings’ at the bottom of the pod, much like on an air hockey table, would reduce friction while it hurtled through the tube. Crucially, however, Musk did not commit either of his companies to build one, but multiple parties worldwide leapt at the concept and set about building Hyperloop. Virgin Hyperloop One next door in LA, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and Delft Hyperloop appear to be the frontrunners.
The appeal is obvious: because of the ease of moving at high speeds without resistance, a constant propulsion system is not needed. This cuts down energy requirements drastically, vis a vis a vehicle that travels at similar speeds like an aeroplane. Did we say similar? Commercial aeroplanes currently travel at max cruising speeds of about 925 kmph; a Hyperloop is projected to travel at 1200 kmph. Additionally, since only electric energy is used to power the entire network, a 100% renewable, self-sustaining system, incorporating, for example, solar panels along the length of the 150–250 km tubes is certainly possible. A greener, cheaper, lightning-fast mode of public transport that can move millions of more passengers annually — what’s not to like?
Critics think that suggestions of hyperloops ever being ‘cheap’ are outrageous. The kind of money required to develop even a short link between cities less than 250 km apart is anywhere between Musk’s lowball figure of $6 bn to a more realistic $13 bn proposed by Hyperloop One. There are also safety concerns, thanks to a long, high-tech, vacuum-sealed transportation system being an ideal terrorist target.
The LA-based Hyperloop One, which tied up with Richard Branson’s Virgin group in 2017, is also aggressively pursuing an alternate use of the technology in the Kingdom of Shiny New Things — Dubai. Safety and passenger comfort are crucial for passenger transportation, but not so when you’re transporting multicoloured crates and containers. In August 2016, Hyperloop One announced a deal with the world’s third-largest port operator, DP World, to develop a cargo off-loading system at DP World’s flagship port of Jebel Ali in Dubai.
In the midst of all this speculation and a frantic race to be the first to build (companies have been signing MoUs with various parties worldwide left, right and centre), only one initiative is currently in progress. Elon Musk’s pet competition to see who can go the fastest. The Hyperloop Pod Competition raises interesting questions on where innovation can come from, in the age of ever-powerful Big Tech (looking at you, Amazon and Google) and whether open source is even a thing anymore.
Continued in part 2…
