It is time to say goodbye to air travel in America. Elon Musk’s ambitious and revolutionary plan must change how travel between America and Europe happens. With an estimated investment of USD $25 billion, the average journey between New York City and London is expected to decrease from 7h 15 minutes to 54 minutes if the giga structure proposed by Musk becomes true. But we must remember: for this structure to be functional, the technologies available on the market should achieve another level.
This structure allows you to travel more than 3,000 miles in less than an hour
An announcement made by Elon Musk has caused some confusion among specialists. Famous for proposing ambitious solutions, with a lot of difficulties to implement, the billionaire seems to have added another project to his list of promises that rely on technological advances beyond the current capability of engineering.
This time, Musk’s statement flirted with an old desire of humanity, and if it was correctly made, should represent a huge advancement for the engineering and travel industries.
It is not the first time that we have heard about the idea of an underwater tunnel connecting the UK to the United States. But it was the first time that a detailed project about this type of megastructure was revealed. According to Musk, it is possible to develop a hypersonic underwater tunnel with traveling speeds of 3,000 mph.
A new vacuum technology is required to make it happen
Known for flirting with new technologies, the first time Musk mentioned the vacuum technology needed for this kind of underwater tunnel in a white paper in 2013. At that time, he even promoted student competitions and founded The Boring Company to promote advances in tunneling technologies that would turn this ambitious project into reality.
The ideal structure would be able to create a vacuum within the tunnel, using pressurised vehicles to complete the journey between the departure and arrival points. In fact, trials of a similar technology happened in India and China, but the initial plans are to integrate this technology into nationwide projects.
These are Elon Musk’s dreams to transform global travel
After years of studies and detailed plans, Elon Musk now claims that with an investment of USD $20 to 25 billion will be possible to transform global travel by deploying an innovative underwater transatlantic tunnel with vacuum technology. To achieve this goal, the structure would be composed of a range of submerged tunnels beneath the ocean floor and floating structures anchored by cables.
Besides its innovative purpose, critics said it may be another delusional dream. Musk’s projects have been criticized for their difficulty in execution and the need for technologies beyond those available for their functionality. Similar to other projects proposed by the billionaire, such as the construction of a Starbase for SpaceX flights, the underwater tunnel would require major changes to the environment, which could also represent a red flag or an advancement.
Indeed, Musk’s unrealized projects record seems to be unfavorable. According to critics, the goal of redefining global transportation could be seen as yet another of the projects that will remain unfinished, or even not be started at all.
Another unfinished project?
While Musk continues to propose innovations beyond what the current technology is capable of achieving, it is not possible to ignore the impacts that such advances may represent for society. If this ambitious project of an underwater tunnel connecting America and Europe, New York City could be one of the most impacted places, even being considered as a possible world capital for underwater transportation. For it to happen, the projects designed by Musk’s team should prove effective, and with a clear plan to be implemented.