Emissions from Today's Infrastructure

Greenhouse gas emissions continue to pollute the air and threaten our climate. The EPA found that of all sources of such greenhouse contributors, transportation accounts for 27% of the total mess[1]. The fact remains that the majority of transport is fueled by combustion, or energy sourced from industrial plants. While hybrid cars and alternative fuel vehicles are becoming commonplace, and more electricity is being sourced from clean alternatives, we have yet to see a change in the current paradigm: energy from outside sources. Even in 2015, the proposed California High Speed Rail relies on sourcing energy from the grid. With renewable resources becoming cheaper and more efficient, we should ensure that our technology relies as little as possible on traditional, unclean sources of energy. For the 21st century, we need a truly self-sufficient form of transport for the masses; the Hyperloop will help phase out our dependence on quickly dwindling energy sources.

Because this shouldn't be a problem in the 21st century. Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/vehicle-512787-crash-multi.html

Because this shouldn't be a problem in the 21st century.

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/vehicle-512787-crash-multi.html

By running solar panels along the length of the Hyperloop, it will generate more than enough clean energy to power itself. Currently, the Berkeley Hyperloop team is designing a 28-seat pod to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under an hour. A single Hyperloop can shuttle a pod both ways every five minutes. If we make the conservative estimate that the Hyperloop will run for twelve hours a day, we can transport over 52,000 people a week. In California, that equates to over 51,000 automobile rides based on average vehicle occupancy [2], or 370 Southwest flights, at a fraction of the cost. This isn't just a push for cleaner skies, but more open roads to make all other transport easier on our limited infrastructure.

 

Berkeley Hyperloop is engineering a new way for people to commute quicker than ever in an environmentally conscious manner. With a single two-way Hyperloop, we will clear enough auto traffic to save the environment from 7,800 metric tons of CO2 a week (405k tons CO2/year) [3]. Hyperloop is the clear choice for a sustainable, environmentally friendly future.