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Angry_Tau t1_izz7dkt wrote

Reply to comment by Sans_culottez in Tesla Semi 500-Mile Trip Video Shows Truck May Have Had a Lower GVW Than 81,000 Lb by Ssider69

Regarding your edit, yes this is absolutely a fundamental flaw. This is one of the many reasons why from a civil engineering perspective, the Loop/Hyperloop (and similar battery-powered gadget-bahns) are laughably bad ideas.

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Sans_culottez t1_izz7z1k wrote

You can’t even put out those fires without flooding the tunnel with chemicals that will kill humans.

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gerkletoss t1_izzdsda wrote

Why would hyperloop have a fire problem?

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Angry_Tau t1_izzjhyp wrote

As far as I'm aware, the basic idea is that the compressor and running gear would all be battery-powered, given that the concept relies on "gliding" through the tube without any contact--ruling out an external power source like a third rail or catenary.

Furthermore, lithium battery fires oxidize themselves--even if the tube were completely devoid of air (which isn't actually the plan anymore), battery fires would still occur.

And finally, the proposed "overhead tube" or underground tube infrastructure makes fire escape much more complicated and difficult. Conceivably, at the very least if you had limited mobility, escaping a sealed steel tube either up or down would pose a significant challenge. Given the nature of historical tunnel fires, even most able-bodied people probably wouldn't stand a chance.

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