What is in place to prevent the Hyperloop from turning into a vacuum cannon and killing passengers in the event of a tube puncture?

Our tubes are constructed out of thick, strong steel and are very difficult to puncture or buckle. We’re designing and constructing the tube and pods explicitly to handle down to 100 Pa of pressure or more (equivalent to air pressure at 200,000 feet above sea level), changes in air pressure, and to safely tolerate small leaks, holes, and even breaches without suffering from a vacuum collapse.

If there was a leak or breach in our tube in an operational system air would leak into the tube. The affected vehicles would slow down due to the additional air pressure, or require a power boost to get them to the next station. The pods will be built to withstand even sudden air pressure changes safely. We will also have the ability to section off parts of the route and re-pressurize sections in the case of a significant emergency. Every pod will have emergency exits if needed, but mostly pods will glide safely to the next portal (station) or egress point in the event of an emergency. Additionally, we are building sensors throughout the system to notify of any leaks or breaches and we would be able to identify and perform maintenance to resolve any leaks quickly.  

how do magnets work?

Well.

-IU

How much energy per passenger/mile does the hyperloop use? How do you measure to get worthwhile comparisons to cars or other modes of transit?

Compared to high speed rail and maglev trains which require power all along the entire track, Hyperloop One only requires energy to a portion of the track. Specific energy use will depend up on system requirements and terrain - SJ

This ignores the energy cost of pumping the air out to a near vacuum.

If you meant maintaining the pressure in the tube, Propulsion power is atleast an order more than maintaining the pressure in the tube - SJ

How would it handle movement of the tectonic plates?

Seismic hazards will be handled quite similarly to how their handled in many other transportation infrastructure systems. Detailed geotechnical and seismic studies will help us identify risks in areas prone to strong ground shaking. These risks often include soil liquefaction, surface fault rupture and/or slope instability. Once these risks are adequately characterized we can tailor the design of the structure accordingly. For example, elevated structures that will be subject to earthquakes may be outfitted with structural damping devices to help dissipate the energy or isolation devices to allow the structure to move independently during shaking.

How small could a hyperloop scale down? Are there any interesting applications / uses cases for a sub-human-size version?

we are always interested in better ways to get good tacos faster. -HD

• In the current prototype you have in Nevada, what is the maximum speed you hope to achieve in your forthcoming tests (190 mph is you current max) ?

• How hard is to maintain near vacuum air pressure across the length of the tube in a real working full length production environment ?

• Are there longer prototypes you plan to build after Nevada, or is it straight to production system in Dubai ?

Our prototype in Nevada is only a short section that we use to test the culmination of the technology we have developed. We can achieve higher speeds than what was shared in July; you have only witnessed the beginning.

It is not difficult to maintain our operating pressure. Our goal at DevLoop was to achieve 100 Pa (considered course/rough vacuum), but we have been able to get <10 Pascals! For production, there are many ways to tackle the challenges of maintaining leaks, and we are looking at all of them!

We definitely have plans to create more prototypes, rigs, and experiments! DevLoop was just the start…

-Divakar

what safety systems are in place for emergencies? How would passengers evacuate from an underground vacuum tube if the system loses power or an earthquake damages the tube?

Our primary evacuation approach will be similar to aviation, getting the passengers to the nearest station or safe point as quickly as possible in emergency scenarios; similar concepts are also used by long tunnels such as Channel Tunnel, where trains try to drive through to the end of the tunnel in emergency situations. System power is a critical system and will have built-in redundancies. The tubes will be built to withstand earthquakes similar to other civil structure in the area and we will also be incorporating emergency warning system to ensure safety. I hope that answers your questions! -safety team

Hi, thanks so much for doing this AMA!

How do you predict hyperloop will affect urban planning and design? Will cities become more car-focused, bike/people-focused, or something else entirely?

Urban planning will become regional planning as Hyperloop shrinks travel time substantially. Dense and diversified development around Hyperloop station areas. - DZ

Do you foresee more New Urbanist-esque design because of this?

Absolutely. Hyperloop will change the concept of urban.

If hyperloop can reduce the dependency that cities have on roads/cars, I'm 100% for it. Best of luck!

Because hyperloop is ultra-fast, on-demand, and energy efficient, hyperloop will attract car travelers, reducing congestion on highway. -DZ

Do you think you can make tube pods that can hold cars? Like being able to drive my car onto then off the pod at the destination?

see for yourself :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fze5spdN3nU&t=65s

How can you compete on price with 320 km/h trains? Hyperloop One seems similar to Maglevs (which are already too expensive), except it has much lower bandwidth, requires straighter lines due to the higher speed, has more serious thermal expansion issues, worse connectivity to existing transportation networks and of course there are safety issues, adding to the costs.

The advantages are speed (people willing to pay more) and maybe operating costs.

I just can't imagine the economy working out, although I hope I'm wrong. How confident are you it makes economic sense, is it more of "we've made a proper analysis, and there's a decent chance there will be market for it" or "this is a research project, we don't have exact plans for dealing with thermal expansion and safety, but let's hope it works out".

All great points. Thanks for reading our analyses which were jointly conducted by consulting companies and our genius engineers. HL cost is 2/3 of high speeds rail and speed is 3x faster. Regarding the advantages of speed, HL speed will substantially improve accessibility, expand the market size, and generate huge economic benefits.

Thanks for your interest! Hyperloop One system is much more energy efficient than systems such as Maglev. This results in cost reduction. Our system is going to be direct to destination which means connecting to existing modes of transportation. - SJ

Thanks for reply, what do you mean by direct to destination?

direct to destination means hyperloop one system connecting with local modes of transportation to reach to your final destination. Check this out..- SJ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fze5spdN3nU

What are some of the greatest engineering challenges that your team faces?

The same as last year...

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4wck43/hi_were_mostly_engineers_here_at_hyperloop_one/d661oip/

-DS

What do you think of putting the tube underground? How is it better or worse than above ground?

We are definitely anticipating the need to put the tube underground. In congested urban environments there is often not another option. Tunnels have the advantage of allowing us to select more direct routes and they usually perform better in earthquakes than above-ground structures. On the negative side, they are generally more expensive and slower to construct. The choice depends on the route and the urban landscape! -BK

Check out this blog post on tunneling from our website: https://hyperloop-one.com/blog/were-living-golden-age-tunneling

How will people be able to get on/off hyperloop without having to pressurize the whole tube? In other words: What will the stops look like?

We have some pretty inventive ways to easily let people on and off without having the depressurize the whole tube. Hint: it's similar to an airlock you'd see in space.

B

Will all hyperloops be above ground? Or will you explore below ground options? Thinking it would be easier to go under cities then through?

It is preferable to stay above ground, except when necessary in very dense urban areas. Below ground options are definitely possible; however, above ground systems are generally cheaper, faster to build, and easier to control construction, etc.

I.B.

Q1: As of now all the Hyperloop systems out there seem to be opting for a passive electrodynamic levitation system (EDS) From what I have seen at the SpaceX competition, literature and your first phase testing videos EDS seems to inherently have a lot of magnetic drag. An alternative would be to use an Electromagnetic levitation system (EMS) which Siemens used to build their transrapid maglev train (they also tried EDS at first but changed later in the development process).

While EDS might seem like a good choice at first because of its simplicity in the long term it looks like isn't the solution to go for (because of higher drag). As Siemens already proved, safety and reliability are not reasons for not choosing EMS, while it's performance is higher and it is a more integrated solution with the linear motor and also providing for power.

Have you considered using EMS and if so why did you choose to go for EDS?

Q2: Another question I have is about switching. It seems very hard to create a switching mechanism with your current suspension that would work at high frequencies of pods moving past. As it will probably require mechanical parts that need to move. Switching also seemed to be a problem at the SpaceX competition.

Can you elaborate on your plans for switches?

Q3: There is quite a lot of regulation on trains and the distance between them. What makes you think you can have vehicles at higher speeds with smaller time intervals between them? This will be required to acquire the necessary passenger flows if the vehicles are much smaller then trains.

Those are fantastic questions! We would love to answer these in detail after you sign our NDA (right before your interview most likely).

What I can tell you is that we are well aware of the practical limitations of both EDS and EMS maglev. The levitation systems team at Hyperloop One has extensive experience with design and implementation of both passive and actively controlled magnetic bearings for automation and transportation. The production levitation solution will reflect this experience.

We have a solution for switching. Stay tuned.

-IU

from where you sit right now, how reasonable is it to expect it'll ever run on fully renewable energy? solar panels or something else?

Hyperloop systems are all-electric, which means we can use energy from multiple sources including 100% renewable. Check out this proposed Germany route https://hyperloop-one.com/blog/worlds-fastest-highway-could-get-even-faster - DZ

Would this hyperloop technology potentially work in space? Like to move from one space station to another?

One of the great challenges of Hyperloop is the infastructure to hold the pressure differential. When you are already in space, that infastructure is no longer a challenge.

-JF

Do you realize that method of transportation has existed at the idea level for over 100 years? I remember reading about it in the 80s.

Also, what's your plan for earthquakes? I'm sure you have something but I've not read any details.

There are a lot of advances in technology that make Hyperloop a viable solution now, while it may not have been feasible in the past. For example: Digital control technology, computer assisted engineering programs, advanced materials, more efficient transducers , and the use of smart phones for passengers to directly call 'on demand' transportation. -HD

1) I would like to see a transparent tube. Will we see this in the future and what material would you use to construct it? Plastic?

2) If you put the hyperloop tube at an low degree angel pointing towards the sky could you launch a pod into space given enough energy?

3) Wouldn't you have saved a lot of money if you built the test track in a place where people could use it after you have finish testing? Since the test track is in the deserts now you are force to disassemble it after you are done.

4) What type of airlock are you envisioning? Are you going to simply seal of the tube let say 10 meters in and suck out the air in that section and open the seal or do have any other ideas?

1) Transparent would be awesome...but more expensive compared to structural materials

2) Anything with enough energy and angle could make it to space

3) We'll be using this as an active test bed for years to come so passengers will need to wait for our first product route to grab their first ride

4) Lots of airlock types exist...that's about all I'll say.

B

are you hiring?

Absolutely!

What do you do?

We have quite a few positions open: Careers Page

-- Kyle Wall

I am a Software Engineer (Infrastructure and backend) currently based in SF.

Thank you, I'll apply today

• Harmeet Kaur

Fantastic! I will look for your application!

-- Kyle Wall

do you think the hyperloop is a realistic way of transport?

Absolutely! It is safe, energy efficient and faast! -SJ

What happens to us when we experience these enormous speeds and the breaking?

We design the system to operate within the bounds of passenger comfort, drawing in part from aviation standards. Comfort means not feeling force, and inertial forces are felt by changes in velocity (acceleration) not through velocity directly. What this means for the system is we need a longer "launch" or acceleration phase to get up to our cruise speed given a lower acceleration limit.

-IU

This sounds great! Thanks for answering How do you put the "not feeling force" in effect though? Or is this implemented in the longer acceleration phase? How long do you guys think it will take until the hyperloop is a normal public transportation vehicle?

We limit our propulsion acceleration to acceptable limits (limiting the force on the passenger), which then requires us to increase the time for which we need to accelerate. We are working hard to bring the hyperloop as quickly as possible! -IU

We are also developing the alignment geometry to minimize the g-limits and jerks experienced by the passenger (in every direction).

-I.B.

How quickly could the system get to max velocity if you were to completely ignore the passenger component (freight only transport)?

Ridiculously quick.

We went from 0mph to 192mph and back to 0mph in less than 500m, and that's not even at full current!

-I.B.

that's not even our final form. -HD

If the pod holding the passengers is basically a space ship (being in a vacuum and all) how do you maintain oxygen levels? CO2 scrubber? O2 storage? I'd love to work for a company like Hyperloop one day!

Such systems are maintained and operated similar to the aerospace industry. You should apply online!

Is there a system in place that will allow for the hyperloop to run as frequently as a subway system or will it be a more exclusive mode of transport that runs every couple of hours? Follow up: How do passengers get on and off efficiently at each station?

You'll be able to catch a hyperloop ride even more frequently than a subway ride! We have plenty of mini-platforms within each station to make sure everyone can can comfortably board and exit their pod.

B

How do you respond to the criticisms presented in the videos by Thunderf00t, such as this one where he claims it's fundamentally impossible to build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNFesa01llk

What mistakes is he making?

Fundamentally impossible to build? Exhibit A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLh1alyhc1E

Thunderf00t seems more intent on collecting YouTube views than engaging in real discourse about the true engineering challenges of the Hyperloop. While I would love to pick his arguments apart in detail, the shear number of basic scaling errors in his videos dwarfs the time I have left.

A partial response was made in last year's AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4wck43/hi_were_mostly_engineers_here_at_hyperloop_one/d65zffd/

-IU

What will happen if a one huge festival is on one city? Then how many hotels do is needed around the station? I'm talking about crowd management.

When a huge festival happens in one city, there is music, food and good times are had by all. The number of hotels needed is directly proportional to the number of festival attendees. Hyperloop will help festival-goers to party in one city and sleep in another which will increase total hotel room availability for said festival dates. We're investigating on-demand methods to adjust pod density to areas of interest to maximize passenger throughput. MM

Would this technology overtake planes as the main mode of long distance transportation?

Air travel will likely always exist in the market however we do think there is ample room for a new form of high-speed transportation that can improve the quality of your travel experience and reduce the total direct-to-destination travel time for key segments. MM

Hi! I'm not a US citizen and i was wondering what might be the first country outside the US would have the first hyperloop? praying for canada

I'm Canadian and would love to have it in Canada as well.

We have some Canadian finalists in our Global Challenge

Where would you choose in Canada for a Hyperloop One system?

-I.B.

Have you looked into the health effects of being regularly exposed to really strong magnets?

What about those with pacemakers and metal in their body?

We follow existing standards for exposure of people to magnetic fields and EMI in general. Passengers will not be exposed to very large magnetic fields. -IU

Have you considered the positive health effects?

https://image.slidesharecdn.com/magnetictherapyslideshowbykami-110104133628-phpapp02/95/magnetic-therapy-slideshow-by-kami-43-728.jpg?cb=1294148381

Do you have any plans for Sweden?

It's definitely on our radar! Check out the results of our pre-feasibility study. [SL]

[deleted]

We have developed alignment geometry where we can transition into curves from a tangent in distances less than or comparable to that of high speed rail. We have also developed the alignment geometry accompanied by banking angles to accommodate curve radii comparable to or tighter than existing high speed rail. All of our alignment geometry is constrained by passenger comfort limits. Therefore, passengers will not experience uncomfortable lateral or vertical g-forces and jerks through any curve.

-I.B.

Do you guys have plans to make a cross continental train of some sort?

This is a horizon goal, but we do dream of having a broad network of Hyperloops that span the continent, with all the benefits that could bring: reducing emissions, mitigating congestion, rebalancing job and housing markets, and bringing friends and family closer together. [SL]

How are you expecting to remove all the air from an extremely large tube, and it still be worth taking? doesn't it take like 8 hours or something to remove the air from like a 100m tube?

How are you expecting to remove all the air from an extremely large tube, and it still be worth taking? doesn't it take like 8 hours or something to remove the air from like a 100m tube?

Thats top secret… but it doesn’t take long! Production routes will rarely be vented; once the system is at a vacuum, we use a series of pumps to maintain the required operating pressures. The only section of tubes that will be cycled on a regular basis are the airlocks. We can achieve rapid de-pressurization rates in small airlock volumes many ways… stay tuned to find out how! -DS

Are you guys thinking of Hyperloop as mainly people transportation? Could it also be used to transport products around? Big trucks cause tons of deadly accidents where I live :(

We're considering both freight and passenger routes. We are investigating several routes connecting sea ports with inland distribution centers which could reduce large truck traffic in urban areas. -MM

Who gets to take the first test ride?

The LEAST productive intern ;) - Kyle Wall

Setting up some serious perverse incentives here Kyle...

Management

-- Kyle Wall

Where do I sign up?

https://hyperloop-one.com/careers

-- Kyle Wall

Will hyperloop tubes require emergency exits? If so, how often?

exit

Most definitely yes. We haven't settled on the exact frequency of exits, but since Hyperloop is a new mode of transportation it will require a different approach to emergency egress. We've already started the early stages of the safety certification process and look forward to working with regulators to meet existing regulations where appropriate and create new ones where needed.

-BK

How many Lacroixs do you drink per day?

Never before seen footage of our storage room.

http://imgur.com/WGapWdD

How would rescue work in the event of being stuck in the tube?
What if the worst happened and there were collisions?

We are activeliy taking a very proactive approach to avoiding collisions in the tube by putting in a lot of redundancy. The pod will have collision avoidance built into the software and hardware on the pod. It is programmed to automatically safe itself and come to a safe stop in the event of an impending collision. Secondly, our command layer - think Skynet - will be constantly watching and dynamically rescheduling pods to ensure that safety envelopes are not violated. Finally, we have put a great amount of care into the initial scheduling of pods. This will help us pro-actively schedule in a manor that should avoid collisions all together.

-- Kyle Wall

1. What kind of things will be around the station in terms of land use, urban design, architecture, activity?
2. How much is station area is required?
3. How much fare per kilometre?
4. How many percentage people will shift from train, plane, and bus to Hyperloop?
5. What will be the minimum curvature of the tunnel?
6. What will be the daily migration rate between two cities?

Great questions! Many of these will depend on the route in question. Luckily our brilliant Transportation Economist, Dapeng, is running analysis on our most promising corridors to determine demand -- which in turn impacts station size, fare, and impact on other modes. As far as land use, we're excited about the ways in which a Hyperloop station can positively affect the local community, through improved accessibility and increased property values -- not to mention sheer radness*, judging by the portal design concepts our partners Bjarke Ingels Group have proposed. -- SL

*Widely accepted technical term.

I was expecting more detailed answer.

Asking "what is a Hyperloop fare?" is a little like asking "what is a plane fare?" Where are you going? How far? How many people travel that route and for what purpose? The same is true for diverted demand. We have the capacity to calculate these numbers for specific origin-destination pairs, but because it's route-dependent, we can't offer a more specific answer to your question.

What density of pods in a given stretch of hyperloop do you think would be achievable?

As many as we can safely operate. One of the main value propositions of the Hyperloop is increased utilization of linear infrastructure as compared to traditional rail or high speed rail. We plan to minimize pod to pod spacing through a variety of techniques not available to rail, allowing us to hit our throughput requirements while using smaller pod sizes. The smaller pod sizes are required to minimize loading/unloading times and allow point to point service.

-IU

Best case, what might be the eventual per-trip cost (loopfare?) for a trip between, say, LA and Las Vegas. Comparable to airfare? Bus fare?

Bus - DZ

can we call dibs on the term "loopfare"?-HD

How Eco-Friendly is Hyperloop?

Very. Zero direct carbon emissions from our electric motor as part of an extremely efficient system that sends power only where it is needed along the track. DK

How many of the engineers originated from Canada?

So many we were thinking of opening up a Timmies at HQ. -IU

Do you have any plans for Portugal? Thanks :)

Hopefully Portugal has plans for us...

what is the biggest breakthrough you have experienced yet?

We have built first full scale hyperloop system in the world and currently doing progressive velocity tests. Check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjv7bB9hy0k

We made breakthroughs in various engineering fields, each biggest in their own categories.

-SJ

What will happen to intercity bus, train, and plane?

They will thrive! Passengers need options given the congestion challenges we face now and in the future, and Hyperloop will be one of several modes of transportation available for travel. DK

I imagine that a bulk of the inter/intra-city challenges will be moving underground utility lines. How much red tape does this involve and does it seem like that will delay the launch of the initial city-to-city launch?

Great question. Projects will go through an environmental assessment and preliminary engineering that will identify these issues up front. It's a normal part of the process and we will work hard to expedite these issues so we can break ground as soon as possible. DK

What do you think, in which county could this technology be first commercially available?

Specifically here!, but in all seriousness, we are looking at quite a few sites that have been submitted to our Global Challenge from around the world:

• AR Buenos Aires Cordoba
• AU Sydney Melbourne
• CA Ring of Fire
• CA Toronto Montreal
• CA Vancouver
• CH Shanghai Hangzhou
• DE German Loop
• EE Tallin Helsinki
• ES Madrid Tangiers
• FR Corsica Sardinia
• IL Eilat Tel Aviv
• IN Bangalore Thiruvan
• IN Chennai BangaloreA
• IN Chennai BangaloreB
• IN Freight Corridor
• IN Mumbai Chennai
• IN Mumbai Delhi
• KS Seoul Busan
• MX Mexico City Guadalajara
• NL Dutch Loop
• PL Warsaw Wroclaw
• SA Durban Joburg
• UK Glasgow Cardiff
• UK Liverpool Hull
• K London Edinburg
• UK Northern Arc
• US Boston Somerset
• US Cheyenne Houston
• US Gary Louisville
• US LA Ensenada
• US Kansas City St Louis
• US Miami Orlando
• US Midwest
• US Nevada
• US Rocky Mountain
  
• US Colorado
• US Seattle Portland
• US Texas Triangle

More Info Here _ Global Challenge

-- Kyle Wall

EDIT -- Fixed typo!

Gudalajara

Small typo here, it is Guadalajara 😊 A route connecting Mexico city and Guadalajara would be a dream come true! The fast connection would change countless of lives around here 😃 It would also finally put and end to the problem of delayed flights since the MX airport is currently too small to meet the demand.

Thanks for the correction!

Direct message us your info and we will send you a small bit of swag!

-- Kyle Wall

What challenges and opportunities do you anticipate with building hyperloops across waterways such as Straits of Gibraltar, the English Channel and between Sweden and Finland?

Here's ONE way of implementing across large bodies of water: https://hyperloop-one.com/blog/run-silent-run-deep-case-subsea-hyperloop

How has been the response from the Gas Companies lobby ? They won't be happy if hyperloop is commercial, given how electrification of CalTrain was such a big deal here in California.

Increasing electrification of surface transportation is a goal for many countries around the world and we are proud to be part of the solution. DK

When are you planning an extension to the devloop? Right now, it's only about 500m long, but eventually that's got to be increased, right?

DevLoop will be a continually upgraded and expanded to support our upcoming test campaigns. It's just the start for this test bed.

B

Congratulations on your progress!

• How will you maintain a near vacuum in a tube that is several miles long?
• I see no fan on the front of your pod. Is this not needed to overcome the Kantrowitz limit?
• How will you maintain a near vacuum in the tube while people board or leave the pods? Some kind of air lock system?

Thanks,

Lasz

Great questions! There are several ways to maintain leaks in a tube; one of them is to space out pumps across a route that can maintain our operating pressure. We don’t need a ton of pumps to maintain leaks, and we don’t need them very close either.

We don’t need a fan to overcome the Kantrowitz limit. We specify the required operating pressure and the cross sectional area of the tube to make sure we don’t hit this limit.

Each portal will have an airlock that is sectioned off from the rest of the tube with large gate valves. We can quickly cycle the pressure in an airlock to accommodate the loading and departure process.

-DS

Can you speak to the gender gap in the technology sector and how Hyperloop One is different? What are some methods that you are using to combat this gender gap in your own company?

Will all Hyperloops be made of expensive metals? Is this practical from a cost savings point of view? Why is mag lev the future? Why not just improve high speed wheels?

Since his announcement of constructing a Hyperloop, do you view Elon Musk as a competitor?

As with all engineering companies we do see a gender gap in the technical roles. We are working with recruiting and senior staff to ensure fair and transparent hiring as we are growing so quickly as a company. We have an affinity group for the "ladies who loop" to meet and discuss any issues to be addressed, and go thru many bottles of wine. And if you know any awesome female engineers, please encourage them to apply!-HD https://hyperloop-one.com/careers

Are there preliminary plans for how a pod will switch or merge between tubes? Can you share rough details?

Switching (or turnout capability) is a requirement for large networks and station operations. We have a solution.

-IU

In your opinion, what is going to be viewed as more significant in human history: the transcontinental railroad or the hyperloop?

It will be a tie, but the Hyperloop will be faster. DK.

STEM or STEAM?

Anything that is designed to be completely functional is inherently beautiful.

• JF