埃隆马斯克超回路列车 梦想迈向现实

Elon Musk’s dream of ultra-high speed travel through a tube came a small step closer to reality on Tuesday, when one of the companies set up to pursue the idea announced it had raised another $80m and said it was ready to show off a key part of the technology.周二，埃隆马斯克(Elon Musk)通过隧道构建超高速旅行的梦想距离现实将近了一小步。为了追赶这一点子而成立的公司之一宣告，已再度融资8000万美元，并回应已打算展出该技术的一个关键部分。

Mr Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, stirred a wave of interest in 2013 in a technology known as hyperloop — a tube from which air is pumped out to maintain a near-vacuum, theoretically making it possible for pods carrying people or freight to move at close to the speed of sound.2013年，特斯拉(Tesla Motors)和SpaceX的首席执行官马斯克调动起了人们对于“超强电路列车”(Hyperloop)技术的兴趣。该技术牵涉到把一条隧道中的空气抽出来，维持将近真空状态，在理论上有可能让装载人员或货物的短舱以将近音速移动。The idea was floated as a potential alternative to California’s plans for a high-speed rail line between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Coming from an entrepreneur who has come to be seen in some tech circles as a visionary, it attracted enough attention to trigger a race among start-ups trying to prove the technology is in fact practical.这个点子的明确提出，是作为加州在旧金山和洛杉矶之间修筑高速铁路线路的有可能替代方案。

由于源于一名在某些科技圈里被视作享有远见卓识的一名企业家，这个点子更有了充足的注意力，在企图证明该技术事实上具备实用性的创业企业中引起了一场竞赛。Hyperloop Technologies, the company furthest along with its plans, said on Tuesday it had raised $80m in a second round, taking the total so far to more than $100m, with the backing of investors including GE Ventures, a unit of General Electric, and SNCF, the French national railway.周二，在继续执行自己计划上回头得更远的公司Hyperloop Technologies回应，已取得了8000万美元的第二轮融资，目前总融资额多达1亿美元，资金投入方还包括通用电气(GE)旗下部门GE Ventures和法国国家铁路公司(SNCF)。It also said it would show off the propulsion system for its planned hyperloop on Wednesday on a section of exposed track near Las Vegas, and planned to have a full-scale, three kilometre trial operating in a tube before the end of the year.该公司也回应，将于周三在拉斯维加斯附近的一段曝露铁轨上展览用作其计划超强电路列车上的前进系统，并想于今年年底前在一条隧道内展开原尺寸模型的3公里试运营。

“The idea that was a glimmer in the eye of Elon Musk in 2013 will be a full-scale prototype by the end of 2016,” said Rob Lloyd, chief executive officer. “When we demonstrate the prototype, everyone will realise we can solve problems of urban congestion — we can free up land, redefine cities. It’s a big deal.”“原为2013年埃隆马斯克眼中一线微光的这个点子，到2016年底将变为一个全尺寸原型机，”Hyperloop Technologies首席执行官罗布劳埃德(Rob Lloyd)说道。“当我们展出原型机时，所有人都将意识到，我们需要解决问题城市交通堵塞问题——我们需要和平土地，新的定义城市。那是一件真是的事。

”Supporters of the hyperloop concept, including Mr Musk, maintain that the technologies needed to make it work have all been proven, and that the real challenges that need to be overcome involve business model and financing.还包括马斯克在内，超强电路列车概念支持者们否认，把超强电路列车投入使用的各项技术都已成熟期，必须解决的确实挑战在于商业模式和融资。Hyperloop Technologies — which on Tuesday said it was changing its name to Hyperloop One — said it was working with a number of construction and transport partners around the world to study the feasibility of individual projects, and that it expected to see a wave of interest from cities and other government bodies once it had showed off a working system.周二，Hyperloop Technologies回应公司将改名为Hyperloop One。

该公司回应，于是以与世界各地大量的建筑业和交通业伙伴合作，研究明确项目的可行性，同时预计，一旦展览一个可运营系统之后，不会引发各个城市和其他政府部门的浓厚兴趣。Given the huge capital investment, long-distance connections between cities — the kinds of project promoted by people like Mr Musk, given the high speeds they could theoretically reach — are unlikely to see the first attempted use of the technology.鉴于极大的资本投资，城市之间的远距离连接起来——马斯克等人依据理论上可超过的高速度而推展的那类项目——不大可能第一次尝试用于该技术。Instead, Mr Lloyd said that connecting container ports with nearby transport hubs presented an attractive potential use, since it could free up storage space in ports and take traffic off surrounding streets. That would not require the high speeds theoretically possible in hyperloops, but would still be better than building new rail links since the systems would operate far more quietly and not raise local opposition, he added.忽略，劳埃德回应，把集装箱港口跟附近的交通中心连接起来一起，是一个有吸引力的潜在用途，因为这需要获释港口的存储空间，增加周围街道的交通流量。

他补足道，那将不必须超强电路列车超过理论上有可能的高速度，但仍将比修建新的铁路连线更佳，因为系统运营的声音要大得多，会引发当地的赞成。Hyperloop One is also aiming to carry freight rather than passengers to get around regulatory concerns about safety, but said it hopes to extend to moving people once the technology is proven.为了跨过监管层对于安全性的忧虑，Hyperloop One也计划装载货物而不是乘客，但回应，其期望在技术成熟期时开始装载人员。

Meanwhile, another start-up hoping to build a prototype system, Hyperloop Transport Technologies, this week announced the technology for its own propulsion system, based on using powerful magnets to levitate pods above the floor of its tube.同时，另一家期望修建一个原型系统的创业企业Hyperloop Transport Technologies(HTT)本周宣告了用作其自己前进系统的技术——必须用于强力磁体使短舱飘浮在其隧道平面的海面。

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