Elon Musk unveiled his much anticipated plans for the Hyperloop by releasing his 57-page technical white paper titled `` Hyperloop Alpha . '' The Hyperloop is intended to become the `` fifth '' mode of transportation -- a tube under or over the ground that would transport a dozen or so people in individual pods . The actual size will likely depend on technology , but the idea is to provide exceptionally fast service to the traveling public between cities under 900 miles apart . The innovation could move people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes with the pods traveling up to 800 miles per hour . It all sounds pretty cool and very space age . ( Jetsons , anyone ? ) Is it too good to be true ? Yes , for now . And Musk knows it . But that does n't make the idea any less relevant . The white paper properly draws attention to the future . Indeed , from a layman 's perspective , Musk seems to lay out a plausible path for the applied technology needed to bring the Hyperloop into reality . Recall that steam railroads were almost as pie-in-the-sky before Scottish inventor William Murdoch invented the first workable prototype steam locomotive in 1784 . The idea of propelling humans at `` break neck '' speeds of between 25 or 35 miles per hour , let alone 50 miles per hour or more by 1850 , was considered the stuff of fancy . Hyperloop is n't the only transportation idea out there . In more contemporary times , stunning transportation infrastructure projects have achieved feats unthinkable until technological breakthroughs made them possible . France 's Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge in the world , with its roadway suspended 890 feet ( 270 meters ) above the valley of the River Tarn and one of its towers rising to 1,124 feet ( 343 meters ) . But the historical reality is that economic hurdles may prove more important than the technological ones . In the longer term , the Hyperloop will have to deliver a service the traveling consumer will want and be willing to pay for before it can create the revolution Musk envisions . On this point , the Millau Viaduct provides critical insights into what could make the Hyperloop a success . Constructing the bridge was technically impossible just decades earlier , and improvements in technology on the margin slowly made the concept feasible . New developments in materials and computer-controlled construction techniques brought it into the realm of possibility and profitability . The potential profitability may well be the more important element . The bridge was built by a private construction company , Compagnie Eiffage , under a 75-year concession that would be paid by tolls . In other words , the company had enough confidence in the practical benefits of the bridge that it was willing to commit to a half billion to the project . Those practical benefits would have to be paid for by consumers through tolls . Without the tolls , the project would likely not have gotten off the ground , even though it was technologically feasible and it could cut travel times by as much as four hours . Thus , while the Hyperloop may be theoretically if not be technically feasible now , the real long-run hurdle for Musk and the project 's developers will be whether the new transportation system provides a tangible benefit significant enough to a large enough swath of the traveling public that its costs will be justified by the benefits they receive . Hyperloop vs. world 's fastest trains . Notably , using similar technology , 12 bridges with higher road decks have been built since the opening of the Millau Viaduct ( although it still retains the record as the highest bridge ) . Mega-projects are often judged by their technical merits . But these projects need to do more than satisfy the egos of engineers and futurists . Their social impact and practical importance depend crucially on their ability to deliver broad-based benefits in tangible ways that become the foundation for long-term sustainability . Musk has done an admirable job of setting the stage for a useful public discussion . Now we should be more focused on the long-run economic merits of his proposal instead of the short- term technical hurdles .
Elon Musk released a white paper about Hyperloop , a fast mode of transportation . Samuel Staley : Hyperloop may sound like science fiction , but it 's probably feasible . He thinks economic hurdles may prove more important than the technological hurdles . Staley : It 's existence will depend a lot on what consumers are willing to pay .