Hyperloop: Why can't we believe in the big ideas?

Re:Hyperloop: Why can't we believe in the big ideas? by fragsworth on Tuesday August 13, 2013 @05:31AM (#6204773)

If the expected value (estimated to the best of our abilities) is positive, then someone with a bit of credibility can easily create a corporation and find investors to build it. It's really that simple.

The only other way it might get built is if someone lobbies the state to fund the project, and in that case it's probably not worth it because the market didn't even want to do it. Isn't this what happened with California's new rail project?

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Re:Hyperloop: Why can't we believe in the big ideas? by daivd on Tuesday August 13, 2013 @07:20AM (#6205075)

It is not quite that simple. The government will have to say yes, since this is a big infrastructure project that wants land next to existing highways. I don't know much about politics, but I do know that, sadly, the net gain for the country over time is not a weighty criterion in such decisions.

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Re:Hyperloop: Why can't we believe in the big ideas? by fragsworth on Tuesday August 13, 2013 @03:22PM (#6207690)

Getting government support for the project is part of the risk and cost analysis, and I don't believe it would amount to a very large percentage of the total cost.

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