Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk To Unveil Hyperloop Plans Today

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Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is expected to unveil the plans for his Hyperloop transportation idea today. He said last month that he would release those plans no later than today.

Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk To Unveil Hyperloop Plans Today

What’s the Hyperloop got to do with Tesla?

Most people know Musk for his current involvement with Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX. About the only things which tie all of these ideas together are the futuristic technology and the idea of improvements in transportation. As it turns out, Musk may not ever build the Hyperloop himself because he is so focused on helping Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX succeed.

“I think I kind of shot myself by ever mentioning the Hyperloop,” the Associated Press quotes him as saying. “I don’t have any plans to execute because I must remain focused on SpaceX and Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) .”

Hyperloop design expected to use a tube

However, he will likely remain true to his word and release the plans for the futuristic transport system. He has said it would be able to make a 380-mile trip in about 30 minutes or so. The Hyperloop appears to include using a tube to transport passengers in capsules. BBC Science Correspondent Jonathan Amos reports that Musk claims the space-age transport system could be built for less than a conventional rail system.

He also said that for cities separated by 1,000 miles or less, the Hyperloop would be a better form of transportation than an airplane. Musk invites critical feedback from the public after the release of the design today. He said he would make it open source so that anyone could use it and change it according to their needs.

Speculations about the Hyperloop

Some have speculated recently that the Hyperloop may employ the use of a vacuum tube, although during a Google Hangout with Richard Branson last week, he said that the system uses some sort of tube, but not a vacuum tube. John Gardi, who describes himself as a “tinkerer,” wrote online that he believed Musk’s Hyperloop must be some sort of modern version of pneumatic tubes like those used in banks to move money canisters out to cars waiting in the drive-thru.

He said that guess is the closest one so far. Beyond that, we’ll just have to wait and see if the design is as fancy as Musk’s Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S sedan and shiny space rockets.

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