Elon Musk just keeps doing Elon Musk things.
Remember the Hyperloop? The futuristic high-speed train system designed by Musk in the spare time afforded to a man who is CEO of an electric car company (Tesla Motors) and a space company (SpaceX)?
Musk is now taking steps to move the idea toward reality. He tweeted Jan. 15 that he will build a Hyperloop test track where students and industry can work on designs for the system:
Musk also considering holding races where student-designed Hyperloop pods could duke it out:
Musk has been pondering the Hyperloop idea for several years, but has said little about it since August 2013, when he dropped the 58-page “Hyperloop Alpha” rough design on the world like a surprise Beyoncé album.
Musk never intended to lead the project; the idea was adopted by a group of engineers from NASA, SpaceX, and Boeing, who formed Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and recently released a 78-page proposal for how to bring the Hyperloop to fruition in 10 years. But it’s clear from Musk’s recent words that the CEO and technologist still intends to contribute.