Elon Musk Says Hyperloop Will Prioritize People over Cars

Megalith

Megalith

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Elon Musk has shifted the focus of The Boring Company and its Hyperloops from vehicles to pedestrians: instead of high-speed car sleds, the majority of pods will be used to transport shuttles. “It’s a matter of courtesy & fairness,” tweeted Musk.

While there might be more answers about what a pedestrian-focused hyperloop would look like, there aren't many explaining why Musk decided to reshape his focus. Could it be to encourage more people to leave their cars at home and opt for public transportation? Could it be that there's a snag with the current development of the car sled and Musk is needing to shift the focus?
 
Charge 1 customer for a car sled, and the price point becomes critical. Fill it with 20 people and you now can spread that cost and the resulting revenue is higher. Always follow the money. There is nothing wrong with making it more profitable.
 
I thought the major appeal was taking your car with you so you don't have to rely on public transportation once you get to the drop-off point. I guess this way he can put a Tesla rental agency (or "autopilot" taxis) at each drop-off point though.
 
Boring Co urban loop system would have 1000’s of small stations the size of a single parking space that take you very close to your destination & blend seamlessly into the fabric of a city, rather than a small number of big stations like a subway
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I dunno, I have that vision of Futurama and the little people air vents.
 
IcePickFreak said:
I thought the major appeal was taking your car with you so you don't have to rely on public transportation once you get to the drop-off point. I guess this way he can put a Tesla rental agency (or "autopilot" taxis) at each drop-off point though.
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considering the cities he'd like the hyperloop in walking is generally the easiest way to get around. it's just going to depend on how many exit/entry points can be added to the tunnel. it would also take a lot of pressure or cut down on costs/expansion of public transit in cities like LA which heavily rely on it. generally i'd be fine with it because parking in LA and NYC sucks!
 
Good mass transit also helps reduce congestion by making it a viable (or potentially even desirable) alternative to driving.
 
Megalith said:
Could it be to encourage more people to leave their cars at home and opt for public transportation? Could it be that there's a snag with the current development of the car sled and Musk is needing to shift the focus?
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Or could it be, providing a fast lane for the elite isn't enough to secure investors? Every investor knows its a bad investment when they are the target audience; there's a hard limit for growth in that scenario.
 
Give the that Toronto’s lack of planning has destroyed any chance of us getting a decent subway system, I’m all for this.
 
Or it's something even more basic, your in a vacum tube, with a bunch of people carrying haz mat material (gasoline/oil/etc)....

A) Sounds like no one would clear it to operate.
B) Insurance would be bad.
C) follow the money to charge people to ride.

In the end it is still no better than a bullet train, which as California has shown will never happen.
 
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