Vacuum Tube Company Is Building A 3-Mile Hyperloop-Like Transport System

Business Insider ^ | July 12, 2013 | Steven Tweedie

[Straight Vermonter]

< snip >

Hyperloop transportation — referred to ... as a "cross between a Concorde, a railgun, and an air hockey table" — is a super fast tubular transport system with the ability to theoretically send someone from New York to L.A. in 30 minutes.

Utilizing vacuum-sealed tubes, six-person capsules could be propelled up to speeds of 4,000 miles per hour. All while only feeling the G-forces similar to a car ride.

Colorado-based company, ET3, is planning to build and test its own version of such a system, Yahoo reports, though they are calling it "Evacuated Tube Transport." ET3 will build a three-mile-long version to test by the end of 2013.

With prototypes already constructed, ET3's pioneering foray into Evacuated Tube Transportation could quickly move the new travel system from science fiction dream into a feasible reality.

ET3 has released a video detailing their system and how it will work, which you can watch below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51HbmuKhRbk&

[Billthedrill]

Hmm...one-quarter the cost of a highway? I'd love to believe it, but the tolerances in one of these are going to be a lot closer than a highway. Nevertheless, if they build it I might try it.

It'll be for high-demand routes, though, like New York to LA or Washington DC to Hell.

[JRandomFreeper]

It's a valve... /brit accent

/johnny

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Very cool - this guy Elon Musk swings for the upper deck. He's leading the privatization of US space efforts and while I'm not a fan of electric cars in general, I have to admit that the Tesla S is no Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt.

Similarly, I'm no fan of new high-speed rail construction - but this will be no ordinary train. It'll be interesting to see how this develops.

[null and void]

They’ll replace the vacuum tubes with transistors...

[The Cajun]

Fond memories of getting hit by B+ or unregulated B+.

[loungitude]

How about in post# 13? I am going with 6CA7 aka EL34.

[HomeAtLast]

“cross between a Concorde, a railgun, and an air hockey table”

Must be private enterprise, else it would end up a bungee cord, a lyle gun and a hockey puck.

[jonno]

No Doubt.

Traveling in a vacuum - what could possibly go wrong??

8^)

[rightwingcrazy]

Not that old.

[Political Junkie Too]

I guess I read it wrong.

The vacuum tube is the tunnel that their capsule rides in. I see.

And somebody wants to build a 3,000 mile long one to get from New York to Los Angeles?

-PJ

[max americana]

“Kewel...but why would anyone want to go to either place?”

Yup. Transporting from sh*t city to sh*t central. Don’t give the illegals any ideas.

[Molon Labbie]

Here’s another, longer version.

[MrEdd]

Hey, Doc Savage had one of these back in the thirties.

[doc1019]

ROFLMAO!!! After the day I have had, I needed that.

[tpmintx]

...six-person capsules ...

Imagine the line to get in. How often could they launch one? $Billions spent to transport 6 people at a time from only one place to only one other place? This sounds like a good deal. For the government contractor selected to build it. It would suck for everyone else.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Utilizing vacuum-sealed tubes, six-person capsules could be propelled up to speeds of 4,000 miles per hour. All while only feeling the G-forces similar to a car ride.

Until that sudden stop.

[Carry_Okie]

Similarly, I'm no fan of new high-speed rail construction - but this will be no ordinary train.

The difference is speed, not the means. If it saves a day's work each way, it's worth it for a lot of people.

One thing for sure, it would be the end of "flyover country." "Suck-under country" just doesn't sound the same.

[SpitfyrAce]

“It’ll be for high-demand routes, though, like New York to LA or Washington DC to Hell”

That right there is hilarious

[HiTech RedNeck]

Heh heh... I think the distance would need to be more than just 3 miles to achieve such speeds with such gentle G-forces.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Scaled up Bank / Drive up Pharmacy technology.