14 DAY TRIAL // Billionaire entrepreneur and inventor Elon Musk is about to unveil one of his biggest ideas ever, the Hyperloop, a revolutionary transport system that would be cheaper and faster than flying.
While details are scarce, the system is said to involve a tube that would create a low friction environment. The plans are to be revealed later today.
Unlike any of his previous big ideas, he won't be building this one. He's already got too much on his plate with Tesla, the electric car company, and SpaceX, the commercial space exploration company.
He wouldn't have time to focus on another major project, which is why he is hoping to raise the interest of someone with the time and capability to make the plans a reality. Still, Musk has said that if he doesn't see any progress or interest in a few years, he'll have to build the thing himself.
The Hyperloop would link Los Angeles to San Francisco and would make economic sense between two similarly large and close cities with significant traffic between them. The system works best for cities that are within 1,600 km (1,000 miles) of each other or less, any farther and planes would be the better choice.
Musk says he got the idea after seeing plans for a new high-speed train link between the two cities, which would be slower and more expensive than flying between the two places.