• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  Travel  >  FluxJet: Canadian Hyperloop Project Lacks Realistic Outlook
Travel

FluxJet: Canadian Hyperloop Project Lacks Realistic Outlook

Kyle Stewart Posted onFebruary 26, 2023February 26, 2023 7 Comments
My dear readers, some links on this site pay us referral fees for sending business and sales. We value your time and money and will not waste it. For our complete advertising policy, click here. The content on this page is not provided by any companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone.

A new Canadian startup wants to build a Hyperloop-type project branded FluxJet but lacks a real plan.


If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com.


If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today.

FluxJet

A Canadian firm has plans to reinvent the way people and cargo move across the great white north. TransPod, the firm launching the brand has designed a new type of vehicle that moves in a vacuum tube at extremely high velocity – up to 1,000 kmh, or 621 mph which is faster than a jet usually travels. Initial designs will transport 54 passengers and cargo up to 10 tonnes.

“Our system contains aerodynamic and propulsion systems to reduce friction compared to trains, automobiles, and jets, and to carry passengers at a faster speed. Moreover, this technology is designed to be compatible with renewable energies including solar generation, supplemented by regional electrical grid connection link-ups.” – TransPod

fluxjet hyperloop

The system would utilize technological leaps in contactless power transmission while the pod travels in a protected guideway (vacuum tube.)  The name is a derision of the field of physics called veillance flux. The tube’s development and massive infrastructure investment intends to lower the cost of travel and emissions “based on fossil fuel-heavy jets and highways.”

While the brand doesn’t mention Hyperloop (which is open source and free to use), it’s clearly a Hyperloop product with what the brand feels is a unique twist.

Hyperloop

Elon Musk delivered plans for a revolutionary new type of mass transportation years ago, making it opensource and available to anyone who would build it because he simply didn’t have the time. The former Paypal cofounder currently runs Twitter, Tesla, SpaceX, the Boring Company and Neural Link so it’s fair enough that he didn’t have time to make this happen too.

Hyperloop transportation technology uses magnetically levitating high-speed trains inside of a vacuum tube whereby the front of the train ingests excess air in the tube and forces it out the back. Hyperloop systems operate from electricity derived from solar panels on the tube’s roof.

The Virgin Hyperloop test track in west Texas proved the concept with models now being built for service connecting large cities close together such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Houston and Dallas, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Why This Won’t Work

It’s been a long road to get modern rail to work in the United States despite investment, interest, and large population centers. Canada has trains in some places, but finds itself in a similar position due to the spread out nature of its population centers and dramatic distances. This likely makes it easier to build the track but harder to make it viable. Canada is huge and for this model to work – at least initially – you need lots of people in a small area that frequently travel between two nearby locations.

One city pair it mentions is Montreal and Toronto, just a 45-minute journey, but without cross-border segments like Toronto to New York, or Vancouver to Seattle or Portland, it seems hard to foresee the likelihood of success.

Boston or Washington DC to New York make a lot of sense when looking at the US, but it’s difficult to build because of the existing geography. San Francisco to Los Angeles combines many of the needed elements and has the land and space (and sunlight) to make it feasible but just getting high-speed rail (bullet trains) between the two cities has become an absurd boondoggle. When it was initially approved in 2008, the $40 billion project was set to open in 2016. A neutered version now estimated north of $105 billion in total won’t even run between the two cities and still isn’t ready to open.

Second, the outlandish claims for how many jobs it will create makes little to no sense at all,

“What’s more, the project is expected to create up to 140,000 jobs and add $19.2 billion to Canada’s GDP throughout construction. It will also reduce CO2 emissions by about 636,000 tonnes per year. The plan appears to be gaining momentum, too. TransPod recently received $550 million in financing [March 2022] and kicked off the next phase of an $18 billion US infrastructure project to build the TransPod Line between Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. (It’ll reportedly get you to either city in just 45 minutes.)” – Robb Report

A net of 140,000 jobs seems increibly unlikely, even if it’s just for construction.

Third, the company claims to have a more efficient, lower maintenance design than “other vacuum tube train systems” suggests that its system will be incompatible with other Hyperloop options. If there were to be a Toronto-New York segment, those carrying on to other destinations would likely have to switch to other systems. This seems more harmful than beneficial, especially when entering late to the party.

fluxjet hyperloop station

Lastly, and forgive me if this seems forward, the concept that there’s already an improvement to the hyperloop when the first one hasn’t gone into service anywhere in the world comes off as more than hubris. It’s not to say that they aren’t right, maybe they are. Before SpaceX and Blue Origin had put their rockets into flight, I’m sure some claims of superiority were made with some level of truth. However, it seems lofty to suggest that you already have a better widget when the original widget has yet to be delivered.

Conclusion

Modernization of mass transit especially in North America where tracks can be hundreds if not thousands of kilometers long is welcome and necessarily for the growth of markets in both the US and Canada. TransPod seems to be ahead of their skis, however and investors should be wary; travelers should be skeptical.

What do you think? Is the FluxJet a better model Hyperloop? Can it be successful in Canada? 

Previous Article Banksy’s War Art In Ukraine
Next Article Intolerable Inaction of Secretary Of Transportation Buttigieg

About Author

Kyle Stewart

Kyle is a freelance travel writer with contributions to Time, the Washington Post, MSNBC, Yahoo!, Reuters, Huffington Post, MapHappy, Live And Lets Fly and many other media outlets. He is also co-founder of Scottandthomas.com, a travel agency that delivers "Travel Personalized." He focuses on using miles and points to provide a premium experience for his wife and daughter. Email: sherpa@thetripsherpa.com

Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

Related Posts

  • private jet Omaha

    Private Jet Data May Point To Regional Bank Survival Plan

    March 19, 2023
  • gild hall thompson suite bedroom

    Review: Gild Hotel, A Thompson Hotel (New York City)

    March 19, 2023
  • JetBlue spirit merger NEA

    JetBlue-Spirit Airlines Merger: DOJ Drags Feet On Suit

    March 5, 2023

7 Comments

  1. cr Reply
    February 26, 2023 at 7:55 am

    “The name is a derision of the field of physics called veillance flux.”

    Derision? What does this sentence even mean?

  2. Billy Bob Reply
    February 26, 2023 at 10:22 am

    Nothing like this will ever happen in the United States in our lifetimes, not enough political will. Maybe Canada can make it happen before we all croak.

  3. Juraj Reply
    February 26, 2023 at 10:25 am

    Yet another techbro vaporware fever dream, I’m afraid.
    We have yet to see even a full-scale hyperloop prototype, and I wouldn’t hold my breath for that. The concept itself relies on an overcomplicated, vulnerable, costly infrastructure investment that doesn’t integrate with anything else, and so even if you can overcome the technical challenges, you end up with a crappier version of high-speed rail.

    And cargo? You need to fit a standard shipping container if this is to make any sense. And of course a lot of new non-standard infrastructure just to get to a fraction of the capacity that freight rail currently offers.

    • Bob Reply
      February 26, 2023 at 11:35 am

      I agree with Juraj.
      And on top on that, those machines are not mass transit tools for transportation: they do not carry more than 10 people at a time for instance instead of let say 500 or 800.

      This is why we do not see them, just like the Jean Bertin’s aerotrain or any hyperloop.

  4. Peter Muller Reply
    February 27, 2023 at 1:31 pm

    Measuring line capacity by vehicle capacity is a fundamental mistake. A 100 passenger train car every two minutes (3,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) has less line capacity than a 4 passenger motorcar every two seconds (7,200 pphpd).

  5. C Reply
    February 27, 2023 at 1:40 pm

    On the contrary. Perhaps the plan isn’t for public view.

  6. Brian Reply
    February 27, 2023 at 5:48 pm

    So the author is worried that this fantasy Canadian Hyperloop system that exists only in the realm of CGI animation will not be compatible with other fantasy Hyperloop systems that also only exist as CGI animation? Take a close look at the Hyperloop “competition” and you will see they are equally removed from reality. This piece feels like it was written 10 years ago before everything we have learned about the so-called Hyperloop since then.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • United Airlines Adds Château d’Esclans Rosé Wine To Polaris Business Class March 23, 2023
  • United Airlines 737-700 Business Class Review
    Review: United Airlines 737-700 Business Class March 22, 2023
  • Southwest Airlines Helicopter
    Southwest Airlines Flight Nearly Collides With Helicopter March 22, 2023
  • Copa Club Bogota Review
    Review: Copa Club Bogota (BOG) March 22, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • American Airlines unaccompanied Minor Predator
    American Airlines Flight Attendant Freaks Out After Man Offers His First Class Seat To Child February 25, 2023
  • Kayleigh Scott United Airlines
    The Tragic Death Of A United Airlines Flight Attendant March 21, 2023
  • United Airlines Domestic First Class Menu
    United Airlines Refreshes Domestic First Class Menu February 28, 2023
  • Southwest Airlines Wife Slap
    Enraged Husband Attacks Man On Southwest Airlines Flight After He Bumps Wife March 8, 2023

Archives

March 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Feb    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.