Tech Predictions: Musk’s Hyperloop will reduce travel times between Johannesburg and Cape Town
Back in 2017, Elon Musk popularised the Hyperloop concept and started looking for ways to make it a reality. We’re getting closer to it, people.
Simply put, the Hyperloop is an underground tube that travels at approximately 1 080 kilometres per hour. At the time, Musk described it as a “cross between Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table.” Exciting, right?
The Hyperloop would “shoot”
Until now, we only had data centred around an American experience – travel times between Philadelphia and New York reduced from 66 minutes to 14 minutes, while travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco would be reduced from 178 minutes to 43 minutes.
In fact, the motivation behind Musk’s Hyperloop was to cut travel times between SF and LA to under an hour. Since then, various city councils across the States have allegedly given Musk permission to drill tunnels underground.
Musk’s high-speed rail company, Hyperloop TT, collaborated with Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop One and they believe that we could be
Why do we need a Hyperloop in South Africa?
Great question! Let’s see. So a flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town takes around two hours and 15 minutes, right? Wrong. Well, the actual trip takes around 2 hours, but let’s not forget about checking in at the airport, baggage claims, and all that.
So it would be fair to say that going to Johannesburg from Cape Town, or vice versa would steal about four, to four and half hours of your time. By rail, it’s about eight hours, and 15 hours if you’re
The Hyperloop will cover that distance in one hour and 30 minutes. Impressive hey?
The six hours you would drive from Johannesburg to Durban would be reduced to 39 minutes on the Hyperloop. From Durban to Cape Town would take only one hour and 30 minutes, as opposed to the eight hours by rail.
Psst, there’s a route estimator on the Hyperloop website. Have a look for yourself.