Hyperloop or just Hype?

South African-born, US-based entrepreneur Elon Musk is making the headlines, this time for a paper he released today outlining a proposal for a new form of supersonic transportation he calls the Hyperloop.

Musk, who founded SpaceX and co-founded Tesla Motors and PayPal, proposes a capsule/pod system encased in a long tube that would be powered by magnets and fans.

Anyone who has owned a McLaren F1 and an Aero L-39 jet, as Musk has done, clearly has a need for speed, and the go-faster kid says his Hyperloop system would reduce the journey time between Los Angeles and San Francisco to 30 minutes. Today, the 380 mile stretch between those two cities takes about five-and-a-half hours to drive (traffic permitting); or about an hour-and-a-half to fly. Oh okay, plus an hour or two airport checkin/security time.

Musk says an LA-San Francisco system would cost about $6 billion to develop and he hasn’t the time right now to pursue the project, so I guess United Airlines and co. don’t need to worry too much at this stage about the $20 ticket Musk estimates it would cost to “loop” rather than fly.

Still, it’s fun to ponder the possibilities of future transportation. Frequent Loop Miles?