Hyperloop Dreams: Let's Fund More Unrealistic Ideas

Oh, how easy it is — and how unfulfilling — to sit in the peanut gallery. In the age of social media, pretty much all of us are sitting there.

That much was clear Monday, when Elon Musk unveiled his long-touted plans for a Hyperloop transport system. This could spirit travelers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in pods that travel at 800 mph. Total travel time would be less than 45 minutes, with one pod leaving every 30 seconds. That certainly beats the rigmarole of airport living

The Hyperloop has long been technically feasible; it was first proposed as a system called Tubeflight, with NASA funding, back in 1967. It is also wildly unrealistic, and ignores many of the political realities that hampered construction of the $100 billion (and counting) high-speed California rail system that follows the same route Musk is proposing. Musk claims he can build his system for $6 billion; that may be wildly unrealistic too. Read more...