Due to the problem of traffic jams, cars can move underground and move there at super-fast speed.
What is this tunnel system?
In 2017, the then subsidiaryThe Boring Company began creating the first test trench on SpaceX territory, since it was the only place where no drilling permits were required. The company dug a 15-meter long tunnel. The depth of the trench was 4.6 meters, width - 9 meters.
The mechanics of vehicle movement through tunnels look quite simple. The car is placed in a parking space and is immersed in a tunnel via an elevator, after which it moves onto skates.
The speed of such skates is capable of developing up to 200km / h. Thus, the travel time is significantly reduced. If the travel time in Los Angeles is 45 minutes, then the trip through the tunnel will cost you only 5 minutes.
How does the Loop system work?
The design of the new transport isthat pipes are immersed underground, like a subway: an almost vacuum is created in them for less air resistance. Next, the developers used magnetic levitation technology to lift objects using a magnetic field; we are talking about special capsules on which vehicles will move. There is also no friction inside the tunnels, so the capsules will move at ultra-high speed, carrying passengers.
They can work like subway cars, regularlymoving according to schedule. To power the network and put the track into motion, it is planned to use solar energy from panels, they will be located directly on the pipe. They also plan to sell the excess energy received in order to continue financing the project.
But later the Boring Company decided to abandonideas for an air cushion and, in order to reduce the cost of the project and the amount of energy consumed, I decided to use an air cushion. It's similar to how an air hockey puck moves easily and quickly across a table.
If we talk about Hyperloop, then there is this technologywould be used to accelerate transport by means of solar-powered electromagnetic pulses. Later, the developers found possible risks of loss of control in such a system and returned to the idea of a magnetic cushion.
Will only cars drive in the tunnels?
Not really, in the future the company plansabandon cars as a means of transportation and launch capsules of larger capacity through tunnels - Hyperloop. This way of getting from station to station was described by Musk himself about ten years ago: the innovator hoped to arrange capsules that would move in an airtight space at great speed. But so far, such a project cannot be implemented due to technical limitations.
On the official Hyperloop page there is a distance comparison calculator, you can calculate how long the path will take between any two points. For example, between Moscow and St. Petersburg - 48 minutes.
Hyperloop as public transport. What problems does he have?
Before you test your designs onliving passengers, the developers have conducted more than 400 launches of the system in the Nevada desert. The first people aboard the latest transport were Virgin Hyperloop co-founder Josh Gigel and director of quality passenger service Sara Luchian. The experimental capsule traveled a distance of 500 m in 15 seconds, the Hyperloop speed was 160 km / h.
The first testing drew a lot of criticism fromsocial network users, first of all, it concerned the speed of the system. In response, the developers stated that Hyperloop is the newest form of transport and cannot be compared with anything that has been invented before.
Among those dissatisfied with the new development are notonly netizens, but also scientists. For example, former Cornell University chemist Phil Mason posted a video on YouTube in which he spoke in detail about how Hyperloop, even in the event of a minor problem, will turn into a bullet that, when fired from a gun, will move so quickly until it crashes into the nearest obstacle. This, according to Mason, will end in the guaranteed death of all passengers.
He noted that even a slight destruction of an individual capsule can cause depressurization and failure of the system.
Where are you going to build a system of tunnels for cars?
The very first Boring Company tunnel beganto be built in California in 2017, and in the summer of 2018, a 1.8 km long single-track road tunnel equipped with LED lighting received approval from local regulators and began operating in demonstration mode in the winter of the same year.
A year later, in the summer of 2019, a tunnel in Californiathey upgraded and added an orientation system for driving in unmanned mode, as well as a special coating: thanks to it, the car can safely reach speeds of over 100 km / h.
A network of tunnels is also being built in Las Vegas:The management of the city's exhibition center decided in experimental mode to try transporting visitors to exhibitions using Hyperloop. Therefore, the Boring Company had to build two tunnels with six stations by 2021.
The day before, at the end of October 2021, it becameit is known that the Las Vegas authorities have issued permission to expand the project. This means that 5-10 more stations will appear. The Boring Company notes that under the contract, 15-20 new stations will be built in the city annually - until the system reaches the target level - 51 stations and 42 km in length.
The Boring Company continues to develop itsthe latest transport network and have already signed contracts for its development, so skepticism towards this type of transport can be found relatively less often than before.
The company also emphasizes that all their workis financed from various private sources, but no budgetary funds are allocated for development, so if it fails, the experiment will not affect the transport system.
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