SpaceX Hyperloop: Elon Musk Announces Competition to Build Transit Pods for Test Track
BySpaceX CEO Elon Musk wants to show what his ultra-fast public transit system can do, as he plans to build a track to put the Hyperloop to the test.
Reuters reported obtaining documents that detail the proposed test run, but Musk will also apparently present it as a competition. SpaceX will build a mile-long track and welcome engineers to build low-pressure pods for people to potentially ride in.
Musk introduced the Hyperloop concept in 2013, NBC News noted. Ideally, the multi-billion dollar system would transport people great distances at an affordable rate. For example, Musk said in unveiling the Hyperloop, that a rider would be able to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in approximately 35 minutes.
According to Google Maps, that trip should take a little less than six hours if one were to drive without stopping. By public transport, which would involve a short walk and more than one bus, it would be about eight hours.
SpaceX is accepting applications for the competition through Sept. 15 this year, Reuters noted and the competition is set to take place in June 2016, presumably near the company's Hawthorne, Calif. headquarters. SpaceX will unveil more details of the completion in mid-Aug.
While Musk, also the CEO of Tesla Motors, came up with the concept for the track, SpaceX is leaving the building of the transportation pods to outside engineers. Teams will attempt to build units that can transport people at speeds up to 800 miles per hour.
"We are excited that a handful of private companies have chosen to pursue this effort," SpaceX said in a statement. "Neither SpaceX nor Elon Musk is affiliated with any Hyperloop companies. While we are not developing a commercial Hyperloop ourselves, we are interested in helping to accelerate development of a functional Hyperloop prototype."