• RedClouds@lemmygrad.ml
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    5 months ago

    Okay, so this breakthrough was just Maglev. But they do plan on using a Hyperloop eventually?

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Musk releases the Hyperloop thing to try to prevent California from getting high-speed rail? The whole thing is he wanted trains to die so that cars would remain popular so that he could push for self-driving cars for high-speed highway travel that would normally be boring to drive. He always knew that the Hyperloop was basically impossible.

    And hasn’t hyperloop been basically discredited as a realistic form of long distance travel? Outside of a kilometer or two of distance, keeping even a moderately low pressure environment is Too difficult, cost ineffective, and a maintenance nightmare.

    Sorry for so many follow up questions. I am perpetually away from a high quality research machine, so I can only yell at clouds right now. But this just seems strange to me.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmygrad.mlOP
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      5 months ago

      Yeah, it’s been confirmed that the whole hyperloop was a scam to prevent California from getting high-speed rail https://twitter.com/parismarx/status/1571628269555826688

      However, situation in China is very different because there’s already a ton of high-speed rail there. I think the goal with this sort of transport system would be to remove the need for domestic flights as opposed to compete with rail.

      In terms of feasibility, it’s not trivial, but I doubt it’s impossible. It likely more of a fact that it’s just not cost effective for private companies to build such infrastructure, but that’s true for a lot of large scale projects China undertakes. Hence why we never see such projects happening in the west. Any new technology is challenging, but there are also benefits to pushing the envelope.

      Another fun future possibility is that this kind of stuff could be put to use on the moon. China is already planning a base by 2030. And if the plan is for long term habitation we may see many bases at some point in the future, and then those could be connected by this type of maglev systems. You don’t have to worry about atmosphere, there are no earthquakes, and no flooding to worry about. Just dig a tunnel and you’re good to go.

      • RedClouds@lemmygrad.ml
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        5 months ago

        A base on the moon by 2030 is pretty amazing of an ambition already, so I’m looking forward to how that develops. Any sort of Maglev tunneling system would be pretty amazing to witness, even in video.

        Back to on Earth. Yeah, that makes sense. Replacing flying is a really big deal. I’m just really worried about the engineering implications of this. If it’s not actually feasible, then they’re gonna waste a lot of time trying to make it happen. Then again, they do have trains pretty much figured out and they can walk and chew gum at the same time as opposed to any Western government which can’t even get the basics right. So at least they have the expertise to at least attempt it.

        I guess I just had it in my head that it was basically a big scam and was so infeasible it wasn’t really worth trying. Then again, their public infrastructure is all state-owned, right? So it’s not like there’s some capitalist who’s making bank on selling this idea with no possibility of a product.

        Then again, it would be funny if China succeeded in this, where everybody else has failed. Hey, they’ve got the smartest engineers, so I guess I’ll sit back and watch the development.

        • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmygrad.mlOP
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          5 months ago

          I wouldn’t say it’s a waste even if we find out that it’s impractical to do. Every large scale ambitious project like this results in a ton of technological and scientific advancement. Trying new things is how we learn at the end of the day. And completely agree that it would be hilarious if China actually manages to pull this off after US has been talking about it for decades with nothing to show.

        • HexBroke [any, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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          5 months ago

          This is from their 2 kilometre Phase 1 track which reportedly exceeded 623 km/h (387 mph)

          The Phase 2 track is supposed to be 60 kilometres long

          Given the target speed is ~277 metres per second, starting with a 2,000 m test track is a pretty conservative approach

    • HexBroke [any, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      5 months ago

      this breakthrough was just Maglev

      A hyperloop is just maglev in a vacuum. That’s the hard part

      The tubes have a geometric size error of less than 2 millimetres (0.1 inch) and must be capable of maintaining a vacuum state for extended periods, presenting significant challenges in fabrication and installation

      didn’t Musk releases the Hyperloop thing to try to prevent California from getting high-speed rail?

      Yes, like he promised that Teslas could have their batteries changed instead of recharging to get more money from the government.

      hasn’t hyperloop been basically discredited as a realistic form of long distance travel

      There hasn’t really been any genuine effort until now. CASIC is the real deal and state owned

      CASIC is the biggest missile weapon system developing and manufacturing enterprise in China. It is known for developing, researching and manufacturing air defense missile systems, cruise missile systems, solid-propellant rockets, space technological products and other technologies with products covering various fields of land, sea, air, and electromagnetic spectrum. CASIC has provided dozens of advanced missile equipment systems for various nations, and contributed to Chinese crewed space flight, lunar exploration and other Chinese national projects.