Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Friday July 21 2017, @04:51PM   Printer-friendly
from the it's-tubular,-man dept.

You'd better get that in writing:

A plan to build an ultrafast Hyperloop [One] tube train has been given "verbal [government] approval" to connect large cities on the East Coast, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk says. He adds that the system would whisk passengers from New York to Washington, D.C., in 29 minutes.

After his tweet about the plan set off intense interest, Musk added a clarification, stating, "Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly."

We're seeking more details from Musk and his companies that are involved in the Hyperloop project — from the vehicle unit to the Boring Co., which would dig the tunnels. He did not specify, for instance, which agency had given its approval or when construction might begin.

Engineers who are working on the project have the goal of sending pods through a tube at speeds of more than 700 mph, using magnetic levitation and an electric motor in a vacuum environment.

The Boring Company's mundane tunneling plans may have been a red herring to distract from underground Hyperloop development.

Is this how Muskmania dies? With an undeliverable promise of multi-billion dollar infrastructure? Or will Musk deliver a transportation system faster than the highest-speed rail, create the world's most valuable car company, and build a Hyperloop on Mars designed to transport him from the ice caps to his throne (crafted from the disinterred bones of Steve Jobs) at Olympus Mons?


n1 writes:

A White House spokesman said there had been "promising conversations to date" with Musk and Boring Company executives but would only say the administration is “committed to transformative infrastructure projects, and believe our greatest solutions have often come from the ingenuity and drive of the private sector.”

Several spokespeople who answered the phones at relevant city, state and federal government bodies laughed upon hearing of the claim that an interstate transit project with a significant street-level footprint in four of the east coast’s largest cities could be approved verbally.

“Who gave him permission to do that?” asked a spokesman with the Maryland department of transportation.

“Elon Musk has had no contact with Philadelphia officials on this matter,” said Mike Dunn, the city spokesman. “We do not know what he means when he says he received ‘verbal government approval’. There are numerous hurdles for this ‘hyperloop’ technology before it can become reality.

A spokesperson for the state of Pennsylvania confirmed that neither the governor nor the state’s department of transportation had been contacted by Musk or his company.

Ben Sarle, a spokesman for the New York City mayor’s office, said in an email: “Nobody in City Hall, or any of our city agencies, has heard from Mr Musk or any representatives of his company.”

The Guardian article [emphasis added] continues on with quotes from government officials in New York, Washington DC and federal agencies who had similar statements.

This news comes the day after the SolarCity co-founder, Peter Rive announced his resignation. Lyndon Rive left the company in May. Tesla has been taking pre-orders for their new solar roof tiles since May. Installations were supposed to begin in June, but there has been no further news, functional product demonstrations or even technical specifications.

Earlier this week Elon Musk told the National Governors Association meeting that the solar roof for the Model 3 (or any car) was not practical and was an idea that would be "scrapped."

James Murdoch, Chief Executive Officer of 21st Century Fox and Linda Johnson Rice, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Publishing Company have joined the Tesla board of directors on Monday. Earlier this year, a letter from shareholders raised concerns about conflicts of interest among board members.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday July 21 2017, @07:43PM (5 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 21 2017, @07:43PM (#542522) Journal

    the HyperFloop is a different beast entirely. Nothing like this has ever been done

    This is nothing like building incrementally off NASA's decade-long work

    Like landing a rocket booster back at the launch site. (Which NASA believed couldn't be done.)

    Then landing a rocket booster on a pitching barge at sea.

    putting an electromotor in a car.

    While I think Tesla's motor / inverter / generator is ingenious, you probably should have mentioned the batteries.

    How many naysayers were there for Solar City?

    Oh, wait . . . for PayPal. (Think what you want of PayPal, and I don't think much of it, but it funded Musk's other billion dollar adventures.)

    The Hyperloop might fail. It really might. But that was also a very real possibility for SpaceX even getting to orbit without going bankrupt first. It was also a very real possibility for SpaceX landing a booster. Failure could happen. But given Musk's track record, I would tend to believe him a wee bit more than Jeff Bezos.

    I'll point out one more. The Falcon Heavy might fail. At first. It might fail several times. It might be a LOT harder than SpaceX thought it would be. For that reason, they should just give up. It would be easier.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by frojack on Friday July 21 2017, @08:12PM (4 children)

    by frojack (1554) on Friday July 21 2017, @08:12PM (#542538) Journal

    Hyperloop technology was dreamed up successively in the 1700s, 1800, etc. It was dreamed up again by Robert Goddard. (Yes, THAT Robert Goddard) [wikipedia.org] and his wife received his patent just after his death.

    I suspect Verbal Approval amounts to one or more federal executives stating they would not fight him tooth and nail, so go ahead and make your proposal(s).

    People read too much into casual statements.

    --
    No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by BasilBrush on Friday July 21 2017, @08:20PM

      by BasilBrush (3994) on Friday July 21 2017, @08:20PM (#542544)

      Innovation isn't about coming up with completly new ideas. Those are very, very rare.
      Nor is it about coming up with derivative ideas. Those are so common they are worthless.
      Innovation is about implementation. It's actually doing what other people have only talked about. Those are the important people.

      --
      Hurrah! Quoting works now!
    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday July 21 2017, @08:24PM (1 child)

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 21 2017, @08:24PM (#542547) Journal

      I am not talking primarily about the approvals, but about the technology.

      Of course, the approvals are necessary. Those may be the impossibility.

      Another thing that I have considered. At some point Elon may become cocky. Hubris from past successes. It is not impossible that it could happen.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @05:48PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @05:48PM (#542987)

        At some point Elon may become cocky.

        According to the first post, he already has.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @09:48AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @09:48AM (#542833)

      > At some point Elon may become cocky.

      According to the first post, he already has.