Is This Really a Good Idea?

Nope!

I agree that this seems to be an implausible transportation system. I'm was initially stunned to read that an engineering firm claims it is feasible. Then I noticed the firm was formed to evaluate this idea. When a firm has but one client...

I think Elon should foot the bill for a modest ten mile run of this idea. Nothing proves or disproves an idea better than full scale test data.

So if the pressure vessel fails (the sealed car your in), the only way to survive is to have a space pressure suit. I assume most of this will be underground, and with the volume of removed air, emergency pressurization of the tube would take longer then the ability to survive without air, assuming the expanding gases in the occupants body tissues didn't kill them in a few seconds.

I think Elon should stick with PayPal concepts.

The same issue exists with space planes they pushed 10 years ago. There are too many failure modes of loss of cabin pressure. So the only redundancy is to have a pressure suit for each occupant.

All ideas of getting around the friction losses do to the air that lets us live, have catastrophic outcomes. Ignoring any crash possibilities, this is a bad idea.

Hey, was there not a mono-rail system proposed many many years ago and a test track made with the cars and all. Was suppose to be transportation from coast to coast. Don't remember the hole scheme of the thing, late 1800 early 1900 ?? maybe some else remembers this one.

I have never needed to go to SF from LA at high speed, especially on US 1. Too much cool stuff along the way.

China built their high-speed rail system for USD $38 billion. A lot more bang for the buck, I'd say.

Well they have them in the future....

They had them in the past...

Sure beats the human powered monorail thingy....

Maybe just good for freight......who wouldn't want their packages delivered a few days faster, for a cheaper price?

Heinlein

I think the jackass is a good touch.

re: the "Quixote" jackass = which, as corporate logo or management mascot?

Creating solutions to problems that don't exist is a fun mental exercise, but I'd like to see the brains and work go to genuine problems.

We can create high speed ghost rails and empty tubes all day long, and these people will still be sitting idle and burning gasoline.

Only if you don't consider cost or safety.

No, even if I am offered free ticket.

All the sketches I've seen for this thing show a single tube crossing the landscape. It takes ½ hour to travel the 381 miles at 760mph. To get payback you need 10,000,000 passengers per year, that is 1x 100 passenger shuttle (completely full) every 10 minutes 24/7. Filling the shuttle departing LA 03.20 in the morning and arriving SF at 03.50 is going to require quite a marketing effort. As there will be no available time for the shuttles to return to LA each disposable shuttle will need to find a use in SF

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Just had a closer look. There is a second tube hiding behind the first one and that had me fooled. Those of you who query how I get payback on mere 10 million passengers per year need to remember that this is a political thing. Most of the capital cost will be met by the long suffering American tax payer so Musk can write off having to pay that portion back.

One of the problems of air transport is getting to the airport. This will have the same problem. Wherever the station would be located, some transportation will be required to the station, and it would probably be by private car. Calculations based on cost of the system will probably leave out the facility parking needs and the time to get to the station and then to the destination at the other end. This is the real problem, even if the system did work as visualized. I think we should not dismiss this concept totally, it gives the brain a good work out. That would be good for all of us and might help with Altzheimers prevention. Whether we should ever build anything like this is a different thing altogether, but thinking and analyzing is never bad. If we had a discussion and decision from a group like this, we would never have had automobiles or airplanes.

Could work if cars travel as well.

Now that would be quite a good idea! That would solve the problems of air travel. The number of potential passengers could be computed by the number of air travelers on the same route. The number that wouldn't be interested in this would be offset by newer converts that use other means.

"we would never have had automobiles or airplanes."

But, we wouldn't have an air pollution/asthma epidemic either.

OK, Trains, planes and automobiles are good.

(1) Oh my God, oh the humanity! --local reporter on scene of first crash.

(2) how the heck is one supposed to get on the thing?

(3) how far does one have to drive on clogged "freeway" clogway, to get to the station?

(4) Does this thing run with the cars in a vacuum (to keep folks outside from hearing the screams of the passengers)?

I would not ride that even if paid 1 gram of unobtainium.