Elon Musk's Hyperloop prototype tube is gone. What does it mean for his tunneling dream?

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LATimes

Six years ago, SpaceX installed an above-ground tube in front of its Hawthorne headquarters, drawing excitement and intrigue from around the city about Chief Executive Elon Musk’s latest experiment.

At annual competitions, engineers and students from across the globe sought to develop and test Musk’s proposed Hyperloop transportation technology, which promised to hurl passengers through tunnels in levitating, autonomous electric pods at more than 600 mph, cutting a trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco to 35 minutes.

Today, there is no Hyperloop system in service. And after sitting idle for several years, the tube on Jack Northrop Avenue — which drew complaints about road and pedestrian access, as well as questions of its purpose — has been removed, at the city’s request.

It remains unclear whether SpaceX or Musk’s tunneling venture, Boring Co., are continuing to develop the Hyperloop technology. Bloomberg, which first reported the Hawthorne tube’s removal this week, called it “symbolic of a larger retreat” and said the Hyperloop project “has been indefinitely shelved.”

[LisaM]

1. I can't imagine much worse than being underground for 600 miles.

I get claustrophobic in the tunnels they have in Seattle for the light rail and on Highway 99.

This scheme always sounded like a nightmare to me.

[3Hotdogs]

9. Dunno. It is a bit shorter time than U spent in the Chunnel from U.K., to France.

Yeah, it was dark outside the windows and ya read a book or whatever and that was the extent of it.

I think the Chunnel choo-choo is about three hours with maybe 1/2 hour in the tunnel.

[RockRaven]

2. Hyperloop was just anti-mass transit propaganda. Anti CURRENT mass transit, that is.

Which makes sense for an auto manufacturer. Disincentivize investing in mass transit infrastructure today by promising a new better kind of infrastructure is in development and will need that money tomorrow. Don't want to waste that money on obsolete technology! And then never develop anything, leaving mass transit inadequate and cars the only solution. And where can you buy said cars? From him!

[LessAspin]

3. B I N G O

Link to tweet

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4. Excellent points

[underpants]

5. Agreed.

[Hiawatha Pete]

8. +1

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. Musk fan club: "he must be doing this in secret someplace else

I just know it"

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7. giggle