Hyperloop Alpha as imagined by Elon Musk
Many people thought Elon Musk was crazy when he outlined his Hyperloop manifesto in August 2013. But nearly two years later it seems like his 58-page PDF will soon become a reality for a small California town. And if the Hyperloop proves to be a success, it will be the first of many “crazy ideas” Elon Musk has in store for us.
It’s also going to change the transportation industry forever.
What Exactly is the Hyperloop?
The Hyperloop is a revolutionary transportation system designed for California by Elon Musk. Not to be confused with the California High Speed Rail Authority, the Hyperloop is a statewide mass transit system that promises to be an alternative to flying or driving. When compared to those traditional methods of travel, it’s clear the Hyperloop is an ideal solution.
The Hyperloop’s Advantages
- Safer
- Faster
- Cheaper
- More convenient
- Immune to weather
- Sustainably self-powering
- Resistant to earthquakes
- Not disruptive to those along the route
If the Hyperloop sounds too good to be true that’s because it is. Modern technology and California’s current infrastructure doesn’t allow for it to be built. But that doesn’t mean Elon Musk isn’t trying to make it happen.
Let’s Build a Mini-Hyperloop
The initial route and preliminary design of the Hyperloop transportation system consists of several capsules traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco. This isn’t the first time such a route has been planned but the Hyperloop is different because it will do this at speeds up to 800 mph. If you’re wondering how this is possible, it’s because the capsules will travel inside tubes filled with hardly any air pressure.
The Hyperloop seems like something from a science-fiction movie instead of real life. But now a startup company is bringing Musk’s vision to Quay Valley, California. And, with construction slated to start early next year, this 150,000-resident city will be the breeding ground for the future of transportation.
Despite being only five miles long, this mini-Hyperloop is not a test track. Instead, this is considered to be a prototype for the 400-mile Hyperloop of the future. And, for Quay Valley it will double as an advertisement for its development project considered by many to be just as foolish as Elon Musk’s crazy ideas.
Welcome to Quay Valley, California
Quay Valley is located exactly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles – making it the ideal location to start Hyperloop’s construction. It’s also fitting for the Hyperloop because Quay Valley is considered to be the city of the future.
Quay Valley is committed to a sustainable, environmentally friendly community built with renewable technologies. Even the food farmed within the city limits will use water gathered from conservation practices. No other city in the world will be quite like it and the Hyperloop will be at the center of it all.
The layout of Quay Valley is designed to make it easy to walk, bike or take the Hyperloop wherever you need to go. And with charging stations for electric vehicles and fueling stations for alternative fuels located on just about every corner; Quay Valley is reminiscent of Hill Valley from the Back to the Future series.
The only difference is it’s real.
“When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said, ‘Nah, what’s wrong with a horse?’ That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.”
–Elon Musk
All Aboard the Hyperloop Express
The Hyperloop and Quay Valley are crazy ideas, but so is every piece of technology ever invented. And if Elon Musk says it’s possible to drive electric vehicles, live on other planets and travel 400 miles in 30 minutes onboard the Hyperloop; maybe the crazy people are the ones who don’t believe it will happen.
