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Australia Parliament committee recommends Hyperloop technology as alternative to high-speed rails
The Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities’ created by Australia’s Parliament has recommended the government to explore the use of Hyperloop technology as an alternative to investing in high speed rail systems. Australia is two thirds the size of the United States with vast distances between its major cities. Ultraspeed Australia’s Sean Duggan says the Hyperloop could create a network of “30-minute cities.”
That concept has special resonance for Australians. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made it a central theme in his latest election campaign. As people flock to urban areas, Australia’s cities are experiencing massive growth but also massive congestion. The “30 minute city” envisions new transportation systems that make it possible for people to live in suburban areas while being able to access the employment, education, and entertainment opportunities available in Australia’s cities within 30 minutes.
U.S.-based Hyperloop One maintains constructing a Hyperloop connection would cost 20% less than building high speed rail lines and be able to operate profitably at much lower occupancy rates. According to Australia Financial Review, Dr. Alan James, head of Hyperloop One, claims the high speed pod system would be financially viable at 15% occupancy, whereas such low usage number would “bankrupt a high-speed rail system.” That’s partly because the operating costs of the Hyperloop would be 60% lower than for a high speed rail system. James says it will cost “next to nothing” to move people from one city to another using the Hyperloop because of its low pressure, low drag configuration.
ALSO SEE: Behind the scenes photos from SpaceX’s Hyperloop Pod Competition
The Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities’ report to Parliament says the Hyperloop would allow passengers to travel between Sydney and Melbourne in less than one hour. Today, that trip requires 12 hours by train or 9 hours 30 minutes by car. Hyperloop One suggests a pod in a “superluxe” configuration could carry 24 people, 50 people if configured for business class travelers, or 90 in economy mode. Pods will be much smaller than rail cars and could operate more frequently with far fewer passengers.
Of course, all of this depends on Hyperloop transportation proving to be technically feasible. The idea is brilliant, as most of Elon Musk’s innovations are, but the engineering challenges are immense. The fact that the Australian government will as least consider using the Hyperloop for some of its future transportation infrastructure is a small but significant step forward for the nascent technology.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk outlines plan for first Starship tower catch attempt
Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.
Elon Musk has clarified when SpaceX will first attempt to catch Starship’s upper stage with its launch tower. The CEO’s update provides the clearest teaser yet for the spacecraft’s recovery roadmap.
Musk shared the details in recent posts on X. In his initial post, Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.
“Starship V3 SN1 headed for ground tests. I am highly confident that the V3 design will achieve full reusability,” Musk wrote.
In a follow-up post, Musk addressed when SpaceX would attempt to catch the upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms.
“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk clarified.
His remarks suggest that SpaceX is deliberately reducing risk before attempting a tower catch of Starship’s upper stage. Such a milestone would mark a major step towards the full reuse of the Starship system.
SpaceX is currently targeting the first Starship V3 flight of 2026 this coming March. The spacecraft’s V3 iteration is widely viewed as a key milestone in SpaceX’s long-term strategy to make Starship fully reusable.
Starship V3 features a number of key upgrades over its previous iterations. The vehicle is equipped with SpaceX’s Raptor V3 engines, which are designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight.
The V3 design is also expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale the spacecraft’s production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk
Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared that Full Self-Driving (FSD) could receive regulatory approval in the Netherlands as soon as March 20, potentially marking a major step forward for Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance rollout in Europe.
Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin, noting that the date was provided by local authorities.
“Tesla has the most advanced real-world AI, and hopefully, it will be approved soon in Europe. We’re told by the authorities that March 20th, it’ll be approved in the Netherlands,’ what I was told,” Musk stated.
“Hopefully, that date remains the same. But I think people in Europe are going to be pretty blown away by how good the Tesla car AI is in being able to drive.”
Tesla’s FSD system relies on vision-based neural networks trained on real-world driving data, allowing vehicles to navigate using cameras and AI rather than traditional sensor-heavy solutions.
The performance of FSD Supervised has so far been impressive. As per Tesla’s safety report, Full Self-Driving Supervised has already traveled 8.3 billion miles. So far, vehicles operating with FSD Supervised engaged recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles.
In comparison, Teslas driven manually with Active Safety systems recorded one major collision every 2,175,763 miles, while Teslas driven manually without Active Safety recorded one major collision every 855,132 miles. The U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.
If approval is granted on March 20, the Netherlands could become the first European market to greenlight Tesla’s latest supervised FSD (Supervised) software under updated regulatory frameworks. Tesla has been working to secure expanded FSD access across Europe, where regulatory standards differ significantly from those in the United States. Approval in the Netherlands would likely serve as a foundation for broader EU adoption, though additional country-level clearances may still be required.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk estimates Tesla Semi could reach Europe next year
“We’ve got the Tesla Semi coming out, the heavy truck, and that’ll be going to Europe hopefully next year,” Musk said.
Tesla is preparing to expand its all-electric Semi truck program to Europe, with CEO Elon Musk indicating that the Class 8 vehicle could arrive in the region 2027.
Musk shared his update during an interview about Giga Berlin with plant manager André Thierig, which was posted on X by the official Tesla Manufacturing account.
“We’ve got the Tesla Semi coming out, the heavy truck, and that’ll be going to Europe hopefully next year,” he said.
Tesla has already begun limited production and customer deployments of the Tesla Semi in the United States, with the company working to scale output through the Semi factory near Giga Nevada. Considering Musk’s comments, it appears that a European rollout would be the next phase of the vehicle’s expansion beyond North America.
Musk’s use of the word “hopefully” leaves room for flexibility, but the remark signals that Europe is next in Tesla’s commercial expansion plans.
Musk has consistently argued that electrification should extend beyond passenger vehicles. During the same interview, he reiterated his view that “all ground transport should be electric,” adding that ships, and eventually aircraft, would follow.
The Semi plays a central role in that strategy. Heavy-duty freight remains one of the most emissions-intensive segments of road transport, and European regulators have increasingly pushed for lower-emission commercial fleets.
Tesla recently refreshed the Semi lineup on its official website, listing two variants: Standard and Long Range. The Standard trim offers up to 325 miles of range with an energy consumption rating of 1.7 kWh per mile, while the Long Range version provides up to 500 miles, which should be more than ample for European routes.
Elon Musk outlines plan for first Starship tower catch attempt
Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk
