It appears that Elon Musk’s Hyperloop dreams are not over just yet. With The Boring Company seemingly catching its rhythm with projects such as the Vegas Loop, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has noted that a Hyperloop project will be attempted by the tunneling startup in the coming years.
The Hyperloop is a proposed ultra-high-speed transportation system for both commuters and cargo. Musk first mentioned the concept in 2012, dubbing it a new mode of transport that would be immune to weather, collision-free, twice as quick as a plane, and power-efficient. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO envisioned Hyperloop as a system that uses pods which move in a sealed tube. Musk described the system as a cross between a Concorde, a railgun, and an air hockey table.
Despite the optimism surrounding the Hyperloop concept, as well as the numerous organizations and groups that are working on the technology, an actual transport system that could be used for passengers has not been made available to the public as of date. This, at least according to Musk’s recent posts on Twitter, would be changing in the coming years as The Boring Company will be attempting to build a working Hyperloop system.
Musk’s update about The Boring Company’s upcoming Hyperloop project came as a response to a Twitter follower who noted that a transportation Loop from Baton Rouge to New Orleans would be great. Musk responded that ultimately, the Hyperloop still presents the fastest possible way of getting from one city to another, at least for distances less than 2,000 miles or so.
“In the coming years, Boring Co will attempt to build a working Hyperloop. From a known physics standpoint, this is the fastest possible way of getting from one city center to another for distances less than ~2000 miles. Starship is faster for longer journeys,” Musk said.
The Boring Company’s experience digging transport tunnels in projects such as the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop and the Vegas Loop would likely be valuable if the tunneling startup really does attempt to build a Hyperloop system. The idea, after all, was mentioned in The Boring Company’s website before it was subtly edited out as the tunneling startup started focusing its efforts on its Loop technology, which uses Teslas instead of pods in tunnels that are not pressurized.
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