Hyperloop One scale back its testing plans - (Assignment 2 Topic - 1)

[Arslan Ijaz]

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/04/24/hyperloop-one-scales-back-testing-plans/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29

[Arslan Ijaz]

Every single day we are moving towards improvement. One part of the improvement is new ideas. Some of the ideas seem quite impossible in the beginning but as time goes on, with hard work and devotion, even impossible is achieved. As author gave an example of airplane, who thought about 110 years ago that flying like birds in the sky would be possible? It was an idea and then hard work on that idea that made this tremendous invention. I believe that Hyperloop One is also an amazing idea but it still needs a lot of effort, work, time and money to become practically possible. Even though Hyperloop One has announced a few earlier dates to run a trial but not delivering on that date does not mean it failed. As the article says, they have changed their plans from a longer to a shorter track. I agree with them, trying to achieve a small target and succeed in it is better than going for a big one and fail. This will also be an advancement on going towards green future because of using electromagnetic forces to drive the loop. One major concern that I have is the safety of the passengers in the shuttle. Since it will be operating under vacuum, if there is ever a leakage in the tunnel/pipe then gas from positive pressure will go towards the negative pressure depending upon the degree of vacuum inside. If its a lot of vacuum, chances are that gas/air from outside will fill in the vacuum so quickly that it will kill the passengers inside the shuttle. 

[wmt3]

The hyperloop is something that seems to me straight out of a sci-fi movie. The idea of traveling over 750mph in a capsule can be daunting to most, honestly I would even think twice before getting in. This uncertainty is what needs to be overcome in order to move progress forward. I think that schedule delays for large scale testing prove that a project like this is rather complex and intricate. As stated in the article itself “we’re not building an app.. this takes a lot more time, money, and space”. In terms of project management, there are countless moving parts in this endeavor. One thing I will mention though, is the lack of large scale testing and how this may put off stakeholders. Stakeholders want to see results in a project they may be funding. Without results, many stakeholders and investors may eventually pull out from the project.

[Chun S]

This is a great technology, and I’m looking forward to seeing this replaced our current train system, which uses a lot of power to push the train forward, due to the friction between the cart and the rail, a lot of time, the engine must use extra power to push the cart and that causes the engine produce more waste that could be harmful to the environment. Hyperloop makes the cart moving inside a huge vacuum pipe, which could reduce the friction and air resistance. This technology is great for the environment. Even the testing has been postponed several times this year, but it is understandable.

[Arslan Ijaz]

Wojciech Trawinski, I understand your point on the insecurity about riding on a thing like Hyperloop one. But I guess if we look back, people would have the same fear about riding on a plane when it was still in its early stages. Now we not only feel comfortable about riding on a plane but also prefer it over other ways of transportation to save time. Similarly, once this technology will become common and reliable, there will be no hesitation on using this as a preferred option for transportation. On your other point, I totally agree with you. They have to show something to their stakeholders so that they don't lose trust in them. Otherwise, they will start thinking of it as an imaginary idea with no outcome. 

[Martinez, Alfred S.]

Like may innovative ideas for travel decades prior, this one is just as bold. For me personally, as a spectator, it doesn't matter when the company moves forward with its trial so long as it's execution is flawless. But if I was in the shoes of an investor, I'd like to hear a date and have the company stick to it. Changes happen all the time, but to repeatedly announce trials and then postpone them would make me lose a little faith with each occurrence. 

As far as the green engineering, it does sound as it would be environmentally friendly. Other things to consider is the practical use (public safety) of it and cost. If this hyperloop is running on a vacuum and it can not have any leaks, well - tightly sealed mechanical systems is REALLY difficult to achieve - especially, maintain. A large invest will have to go into controls and maintenance costs. The concept is interesting but I am still skeptical on a few other claims made by Hyperloop One. I am concerned with the safety of passengers (until test sufficiently) and maintenance of the system. Also, Hyperloop One claims that tickets will be of similar costs of a bus ticket for airline speeds (https://hyperloop-one.com/#our-story). Financially speaking, I'm not sure how that would be feasible - but that's their balance sheet, not mine. The company also states that they will target transportation of cargo by 2020, which I agree with this initial step. They target transportation of passengers by 2021. As a passenger, I would be very skeptical to board this system for 5-10 minimum. This grace period would also be contingent upon the me witnessing the continual upkeep of the system. For the price the company it's stating, it's currently not adding up to me - however, on the surface, the time and price is an attractive selling point.

[Dobhal, Shivani]

I agree with Josh Giegel, president at Hyperloop One, that their company is not merely building an app and it is better to cut down on the project's scale for better efficiency than have a massive product that fails instantly. Especially in a case like this, a type of mass transit that has never been attempted before. Something similar has already been tried and tested in Japan, in the form of Maglev which uses magnetic levitation to propel the train forward and happens to be the fastest, greenest form of mass transportation in the world! Hence, I do see this idea come to fruition eventually, but it might be another decade or two before it happens.

[Agustin Quintana]

Hyper-loop is a very exciting project and can revolutionize the transportation industry. Although, this seems very bold and out there, big ideas are what change the world. The project scale is very challenging and complex, the scoping phase of this project will be key for its success. One of the biggest challenges will be to get the general public to believe in this idea and use it as normal transportation. A marketing technique which shows the product as safe and efficient will be the key to have the masses believe in this new way of transportation.