Elon Musk’s Hyperloop: Explained

By Joshua Smith Published October 19, 2015

For most of modern history, trains, planes, automobiles, and boats have been humanity’s four main modes of transportation. However, while these vehicles help get us from point A to point B, they’re also costly, harmful to the environment, and generally don’t move quite as fast we’d like. Just recently California moved forward on a $67 billion high-speed rail system in hopes of creating an innovative new way to move large groups of people in significantly less time. Though the project has moved forward, engineer, inventor and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has shared his disapproval alongside his own concept, the Hyperloop, which he claims will be faster and more efficient.

In this episode of Explained, Joshua Smith breaks down what exactly the Hyperloop is, what it means for the future of transportation, and more. Could Hyperloop end up changing the way we get around forever? Check out the video to find out!

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Just another not so ordinary kid living this thing we like to call life.

Cars

Hyundai believes CarPlay, Android Auto should remain as options

The 6.9-inch Sony digital media receiver installed in the dashboard of a vehicle.

Hyundai must feel good about the U.S. market right now: It just posted "record-breaking" November sales, led by its electric and hybrid vehicles.

It wouldn’t be too far of a stretch for the South Korean automaker to believe it must be doing something right about answering the demands of the market. And at least one recurring feature at Hyundai has been a willingness to keep offering a flexible range of options for drivers.

Cars

Dodge’s Charger EV muscles up to save the planet from ‘self-driving sleep pods’

dodges charger ev muscles up to save the planet from self driving sleep pods stellantis dodge daytona

Strange things are happening as the electric vehicle (EV) industry sits in limbo ahead of the incoming Trump administration’s plans to end tax incentives on EV purchases and production.

The latest exemple comes from Dodge, which is launching a marketing campaign ahead of the 2025 release of its first fully electric EV, the Daytona Charger.

Cars

Many hybrids rank as most reliable of all vehicles, Consumer Reports finds

many hybrids rank as most reliable of all vehicles evs progress consumer reports cr tout cars 0224

For the U.S. auto industry, if not the global one, 2024 kicked off with media headlines celebrating the "renaissance" of hybrid vehicles. This came as many drivers embraced a practical, midway approach rather than completely abandoning gas-powered vehicles in favor of fully electric ones.

Now that the year is about to end, and the future of tax incentives supporting electric vehicle (EV) purchases is highly uncertain, it seems the hybrid renaissance still has many bright days ahead. Automakers have heard consumer demands and worked on improving the quality and reliability of hybrid vehicles, according to the Consumer Reports (CR) year-end survey.