It can never crash.

不會有車禍

It’s immune to weather.

不會受天氣影響

The hyperloop, you know, is something that would go effectively faster than the speed of sounds.

hyperloop,是可以有效超過音速

Elon Musk has been talking about hyperloop for a while in the vaguest possible terms

Elon Musk一直都在討論hyperloop計畫的可行性

until now because he has released a 57-page document outlining his plans.

直到現在,他發表了長達57頁的文件說明概略的計畫

If you’re not familiar with Musk, he’s been involved or come up with paypal,

如果你不太認識Musk,他參與過paypal,

Testla electronic cars, the Space X program which came up with the world’s first reusable rockets

Testla electronic cars, Space X計畫,那計畫是全世界第一個可重複使用的火箭

and designed the Falcon rocket system for NASA.

Space X也替NASA開發獵鷹火箭

He’s invested heavily in solar energy.

他在太陽能方面也砸下許多資金

Basically, he’s had more great ideas than I have had.

基本上,他擁有比我還多更多的想法

And his plans for Hyperloop would involve linking 2 urban areas,

他對於Hyperloop計畫是希望連結兩個都市地區,

probably no more than 1,500 kilometers apart,

大約不超過1500公里遠,

with a low-pressure pneumatic tube-type system,

藉由低壓架空管道,

sending pods carrying people from town to town at close to sonic velocity.

以接近音速的輸送艙載人們往來城市

Now, he’s proposals are to build a cheap network from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

現在,他的建議是在洛杉磯和舊金山間建造一條路線

Because going much farther than that, he says it would become economically unviable.

因為如果超過那距離,那就沒經濟效益了

It will be cheaper to go by a Supersonic plane.

那搭超音速飛機會比較好

Now if you’ll just have a tube, full of air with pods travelling through it, that wouldn’t be quick.

如果管子裡充滿空氣那車廂就不能移動的快

The friction would make the source of speeds he’s talking about is impossible.

產生的摩擦會讓他所說的速度無法達到

There have been similar plans released previously by Rand Corporation and ET3.

Rand Corporation和 ET3在之前也有一些類似的計畫

That would be even quicker than these ones using electromagnetic suspension in a total vacuum.

而且那會更快,同時使用電磁驅動和真空導管的運輸方法

But the problem there is leaks.

但問題是裂縫

One seal or small crack on a huge tube network would stop it working.

一條小裂縫就會使得整個系統無法運作

But Musk has a solution to that which is a low pressure system instead of a total vacuum,

但Musk有個辦法,那就是用低壓導管來代替真空導管,

that could cope with small leaks but would introduce another problem –

這樣就不怕洩漏但同時又產生另一個問題-

the Kantrowitz Limit

Kantrowitz Limit

In basic terms, if the walls of the tube and the capsule are too close together,

簡單來說,如果導管的牆壁和車箱太靠近,

the capsule begins pushing the air in the system instead of letting it flow past.

車廂會擠壓空氣而非讓空氣流動到車廂後面

A bit like a pressure build-up in a syringe.

有點像是針筒裡的壓力

So the Kantrowitz Limit means that you have to either travel very very slowly

所以Kantrowitz Limit說明了要不是得移動得非常慢

or build a tube with a huge diameter in which case you can travel quicker

或是建一個直徑很大的導管如此才能行駛得快些

but you subject yourself to crushing g force as soon as you get round the slightest bend.

但你一讓自己服從G力就可以避開最輕微的彎曲

But again Musk has a solution which is to put a battery powered electric compressor fan

而Musk再次有了解決方法就是用車廂前的空氣壓縮機

at the front of the pod pumping air to back and relieving pressure.

抽走前方空氣並在車底排出

He reckons that would work when combined with an external linear electric motor.

他判斷這需要電磁驅動才能行進

That’s the same sort of one that you’d get in an electric car but flattened.

就像是你在平地坐電動車

And that would accelerate the pods up to full speed and give them a power boost every now and then.

也需要引擎才能全速前進

So all of this is gotta be ridiculously expensive, right?

所以用這計畫費用會需很多金錢,對嗎?

Well, Elon Musk reckons that he can build this for several billions dollars which sounds like a lot

Elon Musk估算整個計劃需要數十億美元 ,聽起來似乎很多

but he says that it’s still cheaper than the proposed high speed rail network in California.

但他說比起加州高鐵的建築成本便宜很多

So his proposal would be to build an elevated tube network on pylons alongside an existing highway.

他建議在現有的高速公路旁建高架導管

And that would provide a straight line, relatively few land disputes and be able to be built in prefabricated sections.

這樣車廂能直線行駛,相對減少土地糾紛又能預制建構

And on top of all of that, he says his plans would be more resistant to earthquakes and thermal expansion and contraction than a traditional railway.

他說他的計畫更能防震而且不受熱漲冷縮影響

So it sounds perfect but obviously, there were skeptics.

聽起來完美但顯然持有懷疑

As I’ve seen for this seemed really low for me for a system that requires rights of way through major metropolitan regions which this one does.

正如我看到的,這對我來說機率是低的因為像這樣的系統需要得到大都市地區的通行權

Even when you build an elevated… say an elevated train which we do all the time in transportation,

就算蓋了高架的…就像我們在運輸上蓋的高架火車,

There are substantial costs to that in terms of right of way acquisition

在獲得通行權方面會花很多金錢

and there will always environmental lawsuits challenging your ability to try to construct such rights of way.

而且像這樣的通行權總會有環境訴訟的問題

Because people don’t necessarily want new elevated things whizzing by their houses.

因為大家通常不想高架鐵路正好面對自己家

So there were doubts as to whether or not this can actually happen.

沒人知道會不會成功

But if Elon Musk plans can become a reality, there will be faster, cheaper, more environmentally friendly,

但如果真的成功,將會是最快,最便宜,更環保,

more earthquake resistant, more weather proof, and less disruptive than current modes of transport.

更防震,不受天氣影響,跟現在的運輸方式更不會受到破壞

So, I for one hope that I can travel on this within the next few years.

我希望這計畫在接下來幾年能實現

I’d also like to see him build me a hoverboard.

我倒也滿希望他研發懸浮滑板