May 12, 2023

Hyperloop Transportation

The Future of Transportation or a Pipe Dream?

The idea of hyperloop transportation has grown in popularity in recent years. Elon Musk, inventor and Founder of SpaceX, Tesla and PayPal has even gone so far as to tout them as "the fifth mode of transportation" after roadways, railways, airways, and waterways. While there are lots of people who support the development of hyperloop and see it as the future of transportation, there are just as many critics out there who believe the hyperloop concept is nothing more than a pipe dream that will never happen. If you are planning on investing your time or money in this idea, then you will have to decide for yourself whether it has the potential to become reality, of if it’s just an illusion.

What Is Hyperloop and How Does It Work?

Hyperloop is a concept for a ground transportation system that would travel faster than a commercial airliner at a fraction of the price. It was first conceived by Elon Musk in 2012, and while it is still a concept under development, it has the potential to change the future of travel if successful. Hyperloop is a near-vacuum tube that uses electromagnetic propulsion and levitation to move pods at speeds of up to 760 mph. The concept goes back at least as far as the 18th century, when inventor George Medhurst successfully built a railway station in London that operated using pneumatics, a technology that uses compressed air to move objects, similar to how hyperloop functions.

This idea of using compressed air to advance transportation regained popularity in 2013 when Elon Musk released the “Alpha Paper”. This white paper laid out his vision for a high-speed transportation system that would eliminate the two factors that slow down existing travel methods: air resistance and friction. In the document, Musk explained hyperloop would work using transportation pods that would be supported by a soft air cushion within a tube and driven forward using magnetic induction and electromagnetic pulses. This would overcome the problems of air resistance and friction that have plagued traditional transportation methods, creating a more efficient mode of travel. He claimed it could cut the 380-mile trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles to a mere thirty-five minutes. If successful, this would mean hyperloop travel would occur at speeds reaching 670 mph, which is 15 percent faster than current commercial air travel.

Since the release of the whitepaper, many companies have sprung into action in the race to bring hyperloop to life. Musk’s patent-free release of the concept has produced a competitive fever to create this new mode of transportation. The speed of invention has quickened as numerous players work on hyperloop development, with the front-runners being Virgin Hyperloop One, Musk’s own The Boring Company, and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. In 2020, Virgin Hyperloop One completed its first test of human travel in hyperloop pods, which was completed successfully. However, Virgin One has recently scrapped its plans for passenger travel to focus solely on cargo transportation, attributing the change in strategy to global supply-chain issues and challenges arising from the COVID 19 pandemic.

How Are Hyperloops Developing Globally?

According to Yahoo Finance, the global hyperloop technology market is expected to be the fastest-growing transportation segment, estimated at US $1.9 billion in 2021. It is expected to grow to US $9.0 billion by 2026, and will likely see new players starting to enter the space as technologies develop.

Currently, hyperloop is largely being developed and tested in the U.S., although many other countries are also developing their own hyperloop projects. KPMG has predicted that India is likely to pioneer hyperloop technology, as they have been working on projects to connect their sprawling cities of Mumbai and Pune through hyperloop – a 100-mile trip that can take upwards of four hours to complete by road. Virgin Hyperloop One had been spearheading this project until their recent shift towards freight, which leaves questions around the projects’ future.

India, however, is not the only country hoping to be the first to use hyperloop technology. Hyperloops are being planned to connect Dubai with Abu Dhabi and Mexico City with Guadalajara.

The Future of Travel

If successful, hyperloop technology has the potential to change the face of travel. As a potential mode of transportation, hyperloop is attractive due to its speed and its emphasis on solar power for energy consumption. However, some experts have expressed reservations regarding hyperloop's engineering challenges. The withdrawal of Virgin One from the development of passenger travel has further raised concerns about the feasibility of hyperloop travel as this pivot resulted in the company laying off more than 100 staff members. One of the biggest speed bumps hyperloop faces is the elaborate nature of the tube system, which is estimated to cost millions of dollars.

With all these opposing views on hyperloop, let’s weigh the pros and cons so you can decide for yourself what the future of travel has in store.

The Benefits of Hyperloop

Fastest Mode of Transportation

Given the reduction of friction and air resistance that is inherent in the design of hyperloop, this form of travel should be able to reach unprecedented speeds. Theoretically, hyperloop could reach maximum speeds of up to 760 mph, revolutionizing the world of transport. Passengers and cargo would be able to travel from point A to B in significantly shorter periods than was ever possible with positive changes for society. For example, rapid transportation could help to ease the housing crisis faced by many major cities as more people would be willing and able to live in the outskirts, in addition to saving commuters hours of travel time.

Lower Carbon Emissions

Hyperloop is designed to run on electricity and solar energy, making it a low-emission long-distance mode of transport. Solar panels on the rooftops of above-ground hyperloops have been proposed as a source of energy, as well as battery-powered hyperloops that store electricity in the tubes. Reduced friction means hyperloop requires only a minimal amount of electricity to reach high speeds, with the potential of being one of the most environmentally friendly methods of transportation alongside the electric automobile.

Its potential use case to transport freight could also help to minimize the significant carbon emissions created by trucks.

Safety in a Post-COVID World

Hyperloop has been designed to be a low-density, high-frequency transportation method. This allows for speed and safety while maintaining a high volume of travel. This is particularly important in a post-COVID world, where there is greater importance placed on the ability to maintain distance between people to reduce the spread of transmissible diseases such as the coronavirus. The first Hyperloop design carries around 30 to 40 passengers per pod, allowing it to potentially transport small groups of passengers at a high frequency due to its speed.

The Drawbacks of Hyperloop

High Cost To Develop

Hyperloop is still in its infancy, meaning there is a lot of research, development and testing that needs to occur to bring hyperloop to life. This makes the initial cost of creating hyperloop incredibly high. Musk's $6 billion price figure, according to financial and transportation experts, significantly understates the expense of designing, creating, constructing, and testing this new mode of transportation. According to leaked financial figures from 2016, Musk's Hyperloop might cost up to $13 billion, or $121 million per mile, making it difficult for many companies to enter the playing field to bring this vision to life.

Safety Concerns

Hyperloop, like any other mode of transportation, has a number of inherent safety hazards, and contingencies must be included in the system. As hyperloop is to operate at such high speeds, even the tiniest break in a vacuum tube would pose a major risk to passengers and crew. The companies behind hyperloop technology expect pods to leave every 30 seconds to two minutes. As a result, if an accident were to occur, the short distance between pod departures would increase the likelihood of a pile-up.

Limited Capacity

Capacity is another concern when it comes to the implementation of hyperloop. Even when operating at a higher frequency with fewer passengers, it is still unknown whether hyperloop will be able to transport the same volume of passengers that existing mass transit systems do. Critics argue that a significant number of pods will be necessary to achieve the same passenger numbers as traditional rail, which uses considerably larger carriages. There are also several engineering problems to overcome, such as making the tubes strong enough to resist the stresses of transporting the high-speed pods and figuring out energy- and cost-effective ways to keep them running at low pressure.

Is Hyperloop a Dream or Could It Become Reality?

That is the multibillion-dollar question that, as yet, remains unanswered. Hyperloop has the potential to be the fastest mode of transport available, with low carbon emissions and lower passenger density in a post-COVID world. However, hyperloop companies still need to raise a significant amount of money in funding, prove that the system can be constructed and operated safely and efficiently, and create plans to ensure that hyperloop can be an effective alternative to traditional modes of transit before this future technology can become a reality.

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Is Canada Really in a Recession?

December 23, 2023

Context A CBC News article discussed the possibility of the Canadian economy heading into a recession, or whether the country has already passed that threshold. The article discussed this possibility based on slowed growth, high inflation, and the Bank of Canada’s continued interest rate hikes. Analysis A recession is a significant reduction in economic activity that occurs over a length of time, usually months or years. One of the most accepted definitions of a recession comes from the economist Julius Shiskin in 1974, who identified the threshold to an economic recession as two consecutive quarters of declining GDP, although economists often argue about the comprehensiveness of this measure. The causes of a recession can be quite complicated and have many contributing factors. Some common examples include a sudden economic shock such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, excessive debt, asset bubbles, inflation, deflation, or large technological changes. One major factor influencing the probability of an economic recession includes rising interest rates from the Bank of Canada, which has implemented the highest hike in the shortest amount of time in all of the bank’s history, raising the rate over eight times since 2022. The Bank of Canada increased interest rates in order to curb inflation since rising interest rates discourage taking on debt and spending. This further encourages companies to lower prices or slow inflation to increase demand. Currently, the Bank of Canada is keeping at the 5.0 percent rate but has said that further hikes are not off the table as inflation may continue to exceed acceptable rates. Increases in interest rates can certainly contribute to or precede a recession. In fact, the Bank of Canada has raised interest rates three times to slow inflation since the 1960s and all three times this action led to an economic recession. Current fears of a looming economic depression are also not unique to Canada, as following the COVID-19 pandemic, the global inflation rate increased to 8.73 percent in 2021. This was due to supply chain issues, as well as the effect of the Russia-Ukraine War creating rising food and energy prices, as well as general fiscal instability. A majority of the World Economic Forum’s lead economists agreed earlier this year that we could see the beginning of a global recession starting in 2023, which would certainly affect the Canadian economy. The article also discusses the Canadian economy’s slowed economic growth, as the GDP has stagnated in the second quarter of this year. However, it suggests other factors may explain the decrease, including striking port workers in British Columbia, and the resulting negative effect on economic activity. An RBC report mentions how on a per-person GDP basis, there has already been a decline for four straight quarters despite a surge in population growth, and concludes overall predictions for GDP growth do not look promising despite local factors including Canadian wildfires and strikes. They also point to a 0.5 percent increase in the unemployment rate over the past few months, which has historically tended to indicate a looming recession.

Ottawa Mayor and Lansdowne Park

December 21, 2023

Context The City of Ottawa Mayor, Mark Sutcliff released a statement about a revised plan for the redevelopment of Lansdowne, an urban public park containing historic landmarks and commercial venues. The project includes the demolition of a sports arena complex, stadium stands, and the building of a new event center, residential units, and retail space. Despite suggesting the new plan has addressed the concerns of residents, many issues remain. Analysis The City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) have been in partnership to develop Lansdowne since 2012 and finished an original redevelopment of the park back in 2014. A few years later in 2019, the financial sustainability of the park came to the city council’s attention, and in 2020 the partnership was extended another 10 years with direction to develop a new plan to revitalize Lansdowne. Consultation with community members started in 2020, with the original concept released last year in 2022, and a revised version released this month. Community feedback was acquired through various platforms including public information sessions, an open email for feedback, and public surveys. A summary report of that feedback was published on October 6th, which highlighted the six most common themes of community residents’ concerns. The first concern was related to the size and number of the multiple high-rise apartments which were designed to exceed 30 floors. In the new plan , they have removed one of the three planned buildings, with fewer total units in each, and only one tower with the potential to be built at 40 stories. Residents were also concerned about the loss of greenspace due to the new event center construction. Many people suggested they wanted that greenspace allocated elsewhere, or alternatively, an accessible greenspace roof on the event center. Although in the original plan the city had conceptualized a greenspace rooftop on the event center, this was scrapped in the new plan as it was deemed too expensive to maintain. Respondents wanted a restriction of vehicles to the premises to promote pedestrian safety, a concern that has existed since Lansdowne was first renovated back in 2014. They also wanted more public transportation infrastructure to and from the park, whether that is the local city buses, trains, or cycling infrastructure to reduce congestion on connecting roads. Relatedly, residents also desired more accessible public use space from washrooms to water fountains to usable and free space for people to occupy. The new plan has reduced the number of parking spaces for the residential buildings to meet the Bylaw limit of 0.4 spaces per unit, down from 739 to 336 spaces, while they added 36 new spaces for the event center. In terms of accessible public space, the new plan includes 27,000 square feet of space originally earmarked for the third residential building, now available for an unspecified “public realm.” Residents also wanted more local and less corporate or big-box businesses, to reflect the unique local community better. The new plan does suggest the amount of retail space has been reduced from 108,000 square feet to 49,000 square feet but does not directly address the desire to attract smaller, local businesses. Finally, there was also a concern about financial transparency of how the project is being funded and the resulting impact on the City. The Federation of Citizens Association (FCA) which represents over 70 community groups voted unanimously to oppose the new plan, which comes with a very costly price tag of $419 million, increased from $332 million of the first plan. They cite that the debt comes at a time when the transit system is facing major issues, and the city is struggling with a housing affordability crisis.

Danielle Smith - Conflict of Interest

December 20, 2023

Context Newly elected Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith has defended her cabinet which is coming under fire over conflict-of-interest concerns. Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz’s husband, Cole Schulz , may be lobbying the government in the areas that the Minister works in. Cole Schulz's firm is working on removing the protection of a threatened caribou range to make room for the oil and gas industry – which has raised concerns over who has Minister Schulz’s ear. Analysis The company that Cole Schulz is a partner with, Garrison Strategies, was hired by the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada and is working to influence the government on the issuing of reclamation certificates for oil and gas sites. The lobbyists are working to gain more access to protected caribou habitats to expand the oil and gas industry. They are hoping to “ address the moratorium on tenure in caribou regions ” which would effectively give them better access to land and investments. The Little Smoky and A La Peche herds in northwest Alberta were protected by a moratorium in 2013 which stopped the granting of new energy leases in this area. At the time, 95 percent of the herd’s range was heavily damaged. Phillip Meintzer of the Alberta Wilderness Association found that though records show that Garrison didn’t contact Environment and Protected Areas directly, the firm’s causes are “ too close for comfort ”. Meintzer also notes that as Garrison works on opening the protected caribou land for Alberta Energy, Environment and Protected Areas should be working on a protection plan for the federally and provincially designated threatened animal . Minister Schulz is working closely with the ethics commissioner, however, Danielle Smith confirmed that “ the ethics commissioner has looked at it, given guidance and there’s no violation [of the Conflicts of Interest Act]”. Cole Schulz also indicated that his firm wasn’t aware that Minister Schulz breached the Act at any time. Meintzer suggests that this situation “ calls for a further look ” from a third party. Sources https://globalnews.ca/news/9988998/alberta-premier-danielle-smith-rebecca-schulz/